Some Rich Man's Son
by Writer With Sprite
Summary: What if the K-Unit's thought that Alex Rider was some rich man's son was accurate? Meet Alex Blunt, son of Alan Blunt. The K-Unit thinks he's a joke, until Snake finds his scars. Will the K-Unit be able to help Alex out of his bad situation? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Author: Writer With Sprite (duh)

Summary: Alex Rider is the son of a certain rich man – Alan Blunt. He is put in SAS training while Alan is away. K-Unit thinks he's a joke until Snake finds the scars. Eagle, who also was abused, is the first to realize that his stories don't match. Will they be able to find the truth?

Story rating: Teen (T)

Characters: Alex, Alan Blunt, K-Unit. No parings, no slash.

Style: AU, probably the closest to Stormbreaker books, no real spoilers that I can think of

Authors' Note: This has no connection to _Hold Your Arms Steady, Graduation Day, _or any of my other stories. This story has the first five chapters complete, and I have decided to post the first chapter early. I anticipate updating this approximately twice a week. **Warnings for mentions of abuse to a main character. **

BETA: Jayden95. Thank you!

Disclaimer: If I could write as well as the man who wrote Alex Rider, I wouldn't be in debt right now. (Alas, college days…)

## break ##

Alan Blunt had never asked to father a son. He'd never asked to father any children, and he had made that quite clear to his wife. His wife, who had been content not to have a child when she was twenty and beautiful, had decided when she was thirty that it was better late than never to have a child.

When Alan Blunt became the head of MI6, he spent the better part of ten years ignoring that child. The child who _she_had named Alex. Damn Alex. When the kid was ten, he decided he hated his family and took to calling himself "Rider" when he thought no-one was listening.

At first it bothered Alan – and then he merely smiled. The boy was becoming unattached to him. He saw to it and preferred it that way. He knew the boy didn't like his guardian who helped him out, some man he'd hired, but he could hardly bring himself to care.

What was one boy's life compared to the thousands that he'd saved?

It was when Alan's wife died that he took his first time off of work in sixteen years. Not because he mourned her loss, but because he wanted to get away – away and clear his head.

That meant that Alex needed to be sent away, too. The fourteen year old wasn't exactly grief stricken; Mrs. Blunt had hardly been a great guardian, but he was nervous about what would happen now.

Alan Blunt just smiled and informed his son he would be going to training camp.

## break ##

Nicholas Menne was currently pacing outside the sergeant's office, trying to think what on earth he had done wrong _now_. In his two weeks at SAS training, he hadn't been called on the carpet once. Eagle, his comrade, had been called on the carpet numerous times. Nicholas – or Wolf as they called him – had seen Eagle's profile. Eagle was the son of a dead sergeant and had signed up to go to the SAS when his father had been shot in action. Although he was a horrible prankster, he took his duties as a "law 'forcement officer," as Eagle liked to call himself, seriously.

"Yes, sir?" Wolf asked as he moved into the barracks. "If Eagle's done anything, I'm sorry, sir."

"I'm sure Eagle has done something," the sergeant remarked dryly, "and I'm sure it's only a matter of time until I have another officer in my office, complaining that his Igeek/cd/television has been vandalized. But that's not why I called you in here."

Wolf was tempted to correct the sergeant on his mispronunciation of 'iPod', but knew better. He kept silent, knowing the man would continue when he was ready.

"Do you know who Alan Blunt is?"

It took a second for Wolf to think. They had been listening about world leaders last night. Was this some kind of pop quiz? "Yes, sir. The head of MI6," Wolf responded with a scratch of his head.

The sergeant nodded. "He has to go away for a few weeks; his wife just passed away. In the mean time, his son will be staying here for his protection. He'll be participating in whatever training courses he can," the man said. He stood. "I'm placing him in your unit because I feel you can handle him."

_Why us_? Wolf thought, only just then remembering that Python was the man's codename.

"I know you've been giving Eagle some 'TLC' because of his childhood," the man responded softly. Eagle had been fine until RTI training. He'd resisted interrogation, but had nightmares for three nights afterward. It had taken a meeting with the K-Unit present to figure out what was going on – and to figure out the truth: Eagle had been horribly abused, and RTI was bringing back bad images. "I'm not saying that you have to modycoddle this kid; I know you're not doing that for Eagle. Just watch out for him."

"When will he arrive?"

"Tomorrow morning. If you need anything, you're probably on your own. I don't have a way with words. Dismissed."

## break ##

Eagle was up early that morning. Snake and Fox were both relieved that he seemed to be more towards his usual self – somewhat. The man could be extremely annoying if he tried.

"Where's Eagle?" Wolf asked as he watched his teammates.

"Probably doing the chicken dance around the sergeant's hut," Fox responded with a tired sigh. "Why?"

"'Cause I need to tell you something."

Snake glanced at him before turning around and giving Wolf his full attention. "Let me guess, this has something to do with what the bossman called you in for last night?"

Wolf nodded. "Yeah. We're going to have to babysit some kid when we're here."

"Some kid? Who the hell puts their kid in the SAS?" Fox demanded, dropping down from his bunk and sliding on his boots.

"The head of MI6," Wolf responded, watching the two other members raise their eyebrows in surprise. "He gets here this morning. I was hoping to tell Eagle before he got here, but…."

"Hey Wolf!" This time it was Eagle who ducked his head in the hut. "Guess what, mate! We've got visitors. Isn't that exciting? In a van, too!"

"But he already found out," Wolf responded, chucking the nearest item to him at Eagle – Fox's canteen.

"Hey, that's mine!" Fox yelled, grabbing the item and retrieving it out of midair before it could hit Eagle. Eagle just chuckled and darted out of the door.

Wolf exhaled slowly as he turned to the other men. He didn't care who the kid's son was; he didn't deserve to belong to the SAS, not even for a short time. When he was done here, he'd want to leave; Wolf was sure on it.

And then Wolf would have a word with his rich father about sending a damn kid to the SAS.

## break ##


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, did you miss me? I'm using my break to catch up on freelance writing, and I've been very motivated to catch up that because it makes money. Here's the next installment of _Some Rich Man's Son_. I will attempt to update all my other stories as soon as possible. If verification for financial aid doesn't take too long tomorrow, I'll start working on it then.

Thanks to lovely Jayden95 for betaing this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go; two of my siblings are singing about cows and roosters… See the challenge at the bottom. Also, thanks to _Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur_, who looked this over and told me it was good.

Please read and review! Thanks to all who reviewed & Favorited!

## break ##

The kid, also known as Alex, had stepped out of the van instantly upon arrival. "Your signature that we were here, sir," one of the men told the sergeant.

The sergeant rolled his eyes. "What am I signing for, a package?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he signed the paper. He noticed the fourteen-year-old slinking to the side. "Dismissed," he responded, a grunt in his voice.

He then turned and looked at Alex Blunt. The kid had his arm in a sling and multiple bruises. _What the hell? Why would they put him here?_The sergeant thought. So much for him being able to do almost half of the exercises. He sighed and shook his head, hoping he'd made the right decision to put the boy in K-Unit. "You Alex Blunt?"

The boy stiffened at the mention of the name and shook his head. "Alex Rider," he said with a shrug.

The sergeant rolled his eyes. "You're Blunt's kid on paperwork, right?"

Alex snorted. "That's about all it amounts too."

"Just answer 'yes' or 'no'," the sergeant responded. "No back-talk will be tolerated here. Anyway, your last name won't matter while you're here. Your code name will be Cub."

"I'm not part of the SAS," Alex retorted, "so why do I need a code name?"

"You don't get to ask questions, Cub. Anyway, your unit will be arriving shortly. I think Eagle is already up. Watch out for him – he's the maniac of the unit. K-Unit will be your unit for while you're here."

Alex just nodded, wanting to know how long he'd be there for, but then decided that it would be better if he didn't ask. "My unit, sir?" he asked.

The sergeant paused; he'd been expecting another smart remark. Maybe this course would do the boy some good after all. "Right this way," he responded.

## break ##

"They're here!" Eagle responded. He had ducked his head back into the cabin and reached out and grabbed Fox's canteen.

"Hey, that's mine!" Fox responded. It had clean water in there, too, that Fox had robbed from the mess hall. For once he'd wanted not to drink lake water during their hike. He didn't care how good the purifying tablets were, it still unnerved him. Probably because of all the horror stories he'd heard about people dying from drinking the water.

"The kid's here, yippee," Wolf responded as he grabbed his watch. The K-Unit had been granted off from this morning's exercises in anticipation of the kid's arrival. He followed Fox and Snake out of the hut.

"Why did they let Eagle into the SAS?" Fox whispered as he watched the man dance merrily down the street.

"He was more serious the first time," Wolf responded, "and he's 'good for team morale,'" Wolf added, making air quotes on the last part.

Snake snorted with laughter. "Obviously, they've never been on a mission with him."

"It's probably why we were assigned the kid, though," Fox responded with all of his wisdom. "We already have experience dealing with one."

Little did Fox know how close to the truth he was.

## break ##

"Hey!" Alex responded as Eagle dumped a canteen of water over him. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded angrily, dripping wet. The man just hooted and took off running.

"That," the sergeant replied with a forlorn look on his face, "Is your teammate, Eagle."

"Why'd the fuck did he do that for?" Alex responded. Those were the words that the K-Unit arrived on.

_Great, language problem,_ Wolf thought. "I'm assuming he's our new charge?"

"I'm nobody's charge," the kid retorted. Wolf noticed that his arm was in a sling. _Damn it_, he thought with clenched teeth, _something else to slow us down._

He was going to give the kid's father a piece of his mind when they were done here, that was for sure.

"This is your new unit. I'll let them introduce themselves." The sergeant returned to his hut.

"Looks like you've already been introduced to Eagle," Wolf responded. He would not torment the kid until they were well out of sight of the sergeant's hut. Unlike Eagle, he wasn't stupid. "That's his way of welcoming you to the team. I'm Wolf; this is Snake, and this is Fox," he said, gesturing to the two other members. "I'm the leader; Snake's the medic, and Fox is the youngest."

"Hey!" Fox responded, rolling his eyes. "I have talent too. I'm the communications specialist."

"What's Eagle?" Alex asked, shivering, despite the fact that it was at least eighty degrees outside.

"The team 'good for morale' booster," Wolf responded.

Alex rolled his eyes, but was stopped by Snake. "How'd you break your arm?"

"It's not broken, just injured," Alex responded with a grimace.

"Let's get you into some dry clothes," Fox said, interrupting the conversation as he saw Eagle coming towards them again.

"I don't have any with me. My beloved father wanted to send the trunk separately, in case I got abducted or something. He didn't want to have to pay for new clothes."

Fox and Wolf shared a look.

"Permission to kill your comrade, sir?" Alex asked, suddenly back to business.

Wolf waved at him. "Granted," he responded with a roll of his eyes. "When you two kids decide you're done, we'll be back at the hut, Double-O-Nothing."

"I have a name," Alex responded as he launched after Eagle.

## break ##

Fox, who was closest in size to Alex, was digging through his bin. "I might have something," he responded.

Snake peered over the bin. "God, Fox; what'd you do, bring your whole apartment?"

Fox rolled his eyes. "This is my whole life, Snake; I don't have money for an apartment while I'm at the SAS."

"Yeah, yeah," Snake responded, although he had the grace to look guilty. "Did you see his arm?"

"He said it's not broken," Wolf responded with a roll of his eyes. "He'll partake in training just like the rest of us, how, I don't know."

It was then when Alex burst into the hut. "I'm – going – to – fucking – kill –," he muttered, gasping for breath.

"Language, double-o-nothing," Wolf retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"My name is _Cub_," Alex responded, getting up into Wolf's face. "You know. Like a Wolf's cub? A baby? _Your charge_?"

Fox burst out laughing at that statement. The look on Wolf's face also helped his amusement. Wolf glared at him, using the same glare he used to tell Eagle that they really _did_ have to be serious now. "Anyway," he said, sobering quickly, "You can use these clothes to change into until yours are dry, or your other stuff gets here."

Alex quickly shook his head, thinking that they'd see his scars if he changed, and want to know what happened. "I'm good," he said, putting on his 'tough guy' face. "I don't want to wear your clothes. I'm sure you did things in them my mother wouldn't approve of."

With that, he stormed out of the hut.

Wolf just turned to Snake and sighed. "What the hell did we get ourselves into?"

## - Break - ##

Wolf was absolutely exhausted by the time the day was done. That probably had to do with the twenty kilometer run, which Cub had _insisted_ on doing in his clothes, which had mostly started to dry by that point. Despite his injured (not broken, as he insisted) arm, he was still able to move fairly fast. It became a race between Eagle and Cub to see which one could complete the course first.

Despite that the rest of the K-Unit got to the finish line first, they were still surprised to see Cub beat Eagle by a few footsteps, especially with the way his arm was acting up. He'd taken off his sling for the race.

"He's good," Fox whispered in Wolf's ear.

Wolf slapped him on the back of the head. He'd seen the whole thing.

It wasn't until they led the way back to the hut that Snake started talking. Eagle had challenged Cub to another race, and, before he'd said go, Cub had taken off. To be honest, Wolf hadn't entirely blamed him. He could still hear Eagle's whining as the remaining members of the K-Unit trudged towards their hut.

"We need to take a look at that arm," Snake said as he opened the door to the hut. "I don't care if he says it's not broken, I want to reassure myself that it's not."

Wolf only nodded as he sank tiredly down on his bunk. "Looks like the kid's trunk arrived."

"His stuff's bigger than yours, Fox."

"His father's probably a millionaire; what did you expect?" Fox retorted as he collapsed on his bed, grateful to be done for the day. "At least he can change into his own clothes now."

"Wonder why he was so put off by wearing yours," Snake said with a roll of his eyes. "A normal teenager…"

"There's no such thing as a normal teenager, Snake," Wolf responded, "trust me." He collapsed and pulled the blanket over his head. He already had to deal with Eagle, and now the sergeant had to curse him with this kid, too? Why was it always him?

## break ##

So, your challenge: How long until they discover Cub's secret? Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must go stop the rooster singing…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, I was surprised by the response of the last chapter, so I decided to put up this chapter for you all. I hope that you enjoy.

Thanks to Jayden95 for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine. The action will start to pick up in the next few chapters.

## break ##

Wolf was beyond pissed. They were expected to be in the mess hall in half an hour. Cub had risen an hour beforehand and used up all the hot water, and changed before anyone had seen him. On top of that, he was also not in the hut currently. Wherever he was, Wolf wasn't sure he wanted to know; it was probably better that way – especially when he discovered that Eagle was missing as well. The two were probably not a good combination together. Cub, for whatever reason, had decided that he hated the rest of the team but liked Eagle.

Wolf had just been glad that the kid wasn't following him around like a personal shadow. Still, he was going to have a talk with the Mr. Alan Blunt when he arrived – who the fuck was he to put his kid in the situation? He dried his hair off with a towel and changed into a clean shirt. "Hey, lazy bum, it's your turn to get up," he said, slapping Snake on the back of his neck with the damp towel. Fox had taken his shower last night after their hostage situation training.

"Damn," Snake groaned as he slid out of bed. "Too early," he said, checking his watch.

"I know. But apparently, it's not too early for the middle school brat – or I guess he'd be in high school, technically."

Snake caught his words. "Cub's up?" he asked in surprise.

Wolf nodded. "Yup. Eagle is as well. We'll be lucky if half the camp hasn't burned down by breakfast."

Chuckling, Snake grabbed a clean pair of clothes and made his way towards the bathroom. It was now time for the unpleasant task of waking Fox up. "Fox!" he said, shaking his partner gently. He usually avoided this tactic at all costs but it worked with Fox. With Eagle, who had been abused, it didn't work. Eagle was more likely to kick the corresponding person in his sleep then to wake up.

"I'm tired," Fox muttered as he slid his way out of bed and changed his shirt quickly, along with his shorts. They'd all gotten past the point of worrying about whether another man was watching or not. "Where is everyone else?"

"Already at the dining hall. We had to flip coins to see who would save your sorry ass," Wolf responded. At Fox's glare, he rolled his eyes. "Eagle and Cub are off somewhere, probably burning down the camp, and Snake is taking a shower. I suggest waiting until later. Cub used up all the hot water."

"So Snake's showering in the cold water?" Fox asked with a cheeky grin. Wolf never thought of him as the youngest, even though he technically was; Eagle felt like the youngest to him.

"Pretty much," Wolf responded with a crisp nod. He checked his watch. "Hey, Snake, Fox and I are going to attempt to stop Eagle and Cub from burning down the camp."

"Sounds good! Save me some breakfast!" Snake shouted back.

"Come on," Wolf said tiredly, "Let's go; hopefully they haven't burned down the sergeant's hut yet."

## break ##

Contrary to Wolf's belief, Eagle and Alex weren't actually causing any trouble. They were sitting outside of the mess hall, talking. "So, how'd you break your arm?" Eagle asked casually. He was more curious than anything else. Wolf had often told him, when frustrated with his questions, that, "curiosity killed the cat, and Eagle, and when it's done, it will kill you!"

"My arm is _not_ broken," Alex responded angrily. He glanced behind him, as if he needed to make sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation. Then he sighed as he looked at Eagle. "I fell off skateboarding," he said with a shrug, "And caught myself arm-first."

Eagle frowned. The story didn't seem to match to him, although he supposed it was plausible. "You're lucky it's not broken."

"Why?" Alex retorted with a roll of his eyes. Eagle was starting to see why Wolf said the kid got on his nerves. "It's not like I weigh all that much."

"Your arm wasn't meant to support your entire body weight," Eagle replied. "Why aren't you wearing a sling, anyway?"

"Left it in the cabin and don't feel like going back to get it."

"Well, rather than injuring your arm, let's go back to get it," Eagle said. "Besides, it's a good as excuse as any to get you out of combat training."

"I have a black belt in karate," Alex responded with a casual shrug.

"Yes, but your arm is still bro-injured," Eagle said, hastily correcting himself. He didn't want to face Cub's ire for saying the wrong thing. "You don't want to risk messing that up in training."

"Yeah, well, whatever," Alex said, shrugging off Eagle's statement. "Fine, let's go," he said, seeing Wolf. He quickly pushed himself off the ground and darted to the cabin.

"Where's he going?" Wolf asked as he checked his watch. They still had about half an hour until meal time. "Why were you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep – nightmare," Eagle said uncomfortably. He had only just gotten used to being able to confide in his unit about his nightmares. Their RTI training had been cut short and he knew that they would be going back soon, and the thought terrified him. "And Cub couldn't sleep either. He was shaking. Had to wake him up also. I should follow him back to the hut – he's supposed to be putting on his sling."

"Yeah, about that," Wolf responded. "What kind of parent puts their kid in an SAS training camp when they're only fourteen and their arm is broken?"

"Injured," Eagle corrected automatically, having been forced to listen to Cub's rant earlier.

"Injured – broken – whatever," Wolf growled. He checked his watch. Twenty-eight minutes until breakfast. "I'm still going to have a chat with his father when he gets here. What an idiot. I'm going to see if the mess hall needs any help."

"You're insane," Eagle responded, shaking his head. It was more than likely that the man was going to see if there was any coffee that had been made early rather than help. Anyone who got roped into helping before breakfast usually got roped into helping clean up after, too.

## break ##

Snake had just finished pulling on his shirt when he heard the door swing open. Wondering who was back, he stayed silent, wondering if he could guess. He enjoyed scaring Eagle – it was his only humor time here.

"Where'd I put the damn thing?" he heard Cub's voice growl, and he sighed inwardly. Wolf wasn't kidding when he said the kid had picked up a mouth. "Damn it, that bird is going to kill me if I don't find the stupid sling…"

Snake peeked in the room at Cub, who had taken a minute to stare at himself in front of the mirror. He had lifted his shirt up. His entire back was covered in scars, and some of them were very, very fresh.

He stepped out of his hiding spot. It was time for Snake to have a chat with Cub.

## break ##

A/N: Challenge – so, where are Alex's "fresh" scars from?

If you've read to here, you've either liked it or tolerated enough to get to this point, so tell me why you liked it and read it. I'd love to know your thoughts, even if they're just "please update soon." I will have a special mention for all those who review in one section of the next chapter.

Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow, I had to walk two miles today _and_ have a three hour internship interview… I'm tired! Hope you enjoy.

## break ##

"Hey, Cub, are you looking for this?" Snake asked, picking up the sling that he had left on his bed. He'd seen it on Cub's bed and hadn't wanted the kid to be without it.

"Why the fuck did you move it?" Cub said, dropping his shirt down instantly and grabbing the sling. "That's my property, you asshole. I can have my father get you out of SAS faster than you can say 'Alan Blunt'."

"Your father's Alan Blunt?" Snake questioned, surprised. Wolf had told them that Cub was the son of some rich kid, but not who he was. They'd all heard the lecture on MI6 and even knew more than some individuals – Fox wanted to transfer there when they were done with SAS. "Head of MI6, right?"

"The one and only," Cub muttered as he adjusted his sling. "And still an asshole," he added.

Snake paused as he tried to think of how to best ask Cub about his scars. He decided that it would be best just to be blunt. "Cub, how'd you get those scars?"

"Skateboarding accident," Cub said, moving from the room.

## break ##

Alex was furious with himself. He'd been there all of two bloody days and someone had managed to find his secret. The team's medic had managed to find his secret, to make it worse. What was his father going to do? He was going to kill him.

When other people used to ask about his secret, he'd usually say classified. Alex had learned that only made them more curious in the long run and go to greater lengths to investigate him. There was only so much they could do; his father was the head of MI6, after all, but the investigations still scared him never the less.

He still remembered the first time he'd talked to his father about it. Well, Alan Blunt, anyway. He couldn't really think of the man as his father.

_Flashback_

"_Someone was questioning me at my school today," Alex said as he accepted the food Alan Blunt handed him. It had been cooked by the housekeeper before she'left. Jack or something. He hesitantly took a bite of the food._

"_What were they asking you?" Alan asked, his voice suddenly cold. He had made it quite clear that Alex was not supposed to speak and now his son was breaking his rule. Alex winced; he didn't want to say anything, but his father had to know._

"_They wanted to know how I got the scrape on my arm." The scrape had resulted because Alex had wanted to talk to his father before he left for work. Alan, already late, had shoved Alex down, grabbed Alex by his leg, and dragged him out of the house. He'd been locked out until the cleaner, who had her own key, came and let him in._

"_What did you tell them?" Alan asked._

"_That I tripped and fell. They wanted to know the circumstances, and I said 'classified'," Alex responded, nervous. He had failed once to do as his father asked in this circumstance and had been badly beaten._

"_Good," Alan responded. He had his very, very, rare affectionate moments, and reached out and brushed against Alex's hair. "Did they pester you again after that?"_

"_No, sir," Alex responded. That was a half lie. The nurse had made him get it cleaned, but hadn't asked about where it had come from._

"_Good," Alan responded_.

_End_

Alex sighed as he made his way to the mess hall. He really hated the food here. It was even worse than Alan's cooking, and that was saying something.

## break ##

"I just don't think he's telling the truth," Snake responded with an annoyed hushed whisper towards Wolf.

"I don't think it's any of our business, Snake. The kid's father's the head of MI6. If he's being abused or something, don't you think the dude's father would whip the guy's ass or hire an assassin?"

"I suppose you're right," Snake said with a tired grimace. "Hey, Cub!" he called cheerfully as he waved his hand. "You're just in time, the mess hall is about open!"

"Great," Cub responded with a trademarked roll of his eyes, "The food here is so good that I'm starved already."

Despite himself, Wolf chuckled. The kid could have his humor moments – good to know. Unless, of course, he was being serious, which Wolf highly doubted.

Eagle hung back from the trio, lost in his own thoughts. There was just something that didn't hold water about Cub to him, and he was determined to find out what.

## break ##

It was late at night when Alex was roughly grabbed out of his sleep and a hand was placed over his mouth. "Don't say a word, or I'll kill you now, I swear to God," the man's voice responded. Alex felt his whole body tense. Was this some wild form of training or was someone actually kidnapping him?

He was able to note that Snake had been pulled out of his bunk as well. Alex had only a minute to breathe as a pillow case was roughly shoved over his head.

Ten minutes later, Alex was thoroughly convinced that he was going to be treated no more gently than a sack of potatoes. He had been dropped twice, whether accidentally or on purpose, he wasn't sure. He was pretty sure, also, that he was being kidnapped. He knew, however, that it would be stupid to attempt to call out for help when the camp was in the midst of likely being overtaken. It would only get him in trouble or smacked.

He was thrown on the floor for a third and final time. His pillow-hood was roughly yanked off. "What's your name?" they demanded.

Fear seized through Alex. They _couldn't_ know his name; they'd either hold him for greater ransom or they would dispose of him… This couldn't possibly be a training exercise. "What is your name, your moron? Surely you have one?" they asked. It was followed up by a punch.

Alex had only a minute to survey the room before he was punched again. "You're just a bloody schoolboy. What the hell are you doing here, and what's your name?"

He suddenly remembered the codename he had been given by the sergeant. Maybe this was the reason why he was given a code name. "Cub," he responded.

"Your real name, you bloody moron!"

"Cub," he said again, confused. Who were these people? Why did they look like they were enjoying this?

"Damn moron. Put him with the others, we'll break him in the morning, along with the other youngest one," a man who Alex dubbed Biceps said.

Shorty chuckled. "I always like tormenting the youngest on a team. It gets answers so much more quickly," he added with a wicked grin at Alex.

Alex felt like he was going to vomit. How did he get caught up in this? And what the hell was going on?

Worse, what if the rest of the team found out about his scars?

## break ##

A/N: Dun… dun… dun… So… how long until they find out his scars? Are you starting to get the "real" idea for who is behind the scars? Challenge: Why was Alex kidnapped? And is the whole team with him, or only Snake? Guess if you dare…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, I'm impressed - an overwhelming number of you guessed right. Cookies for all of you. And today I am going to catch up on my review replies... Because I have free time!

See challenge at the bottom! Thanks to Jayden95 for the beta!

## break ##

Alex was roughly tossed into the same room where Snake was. Snake was holding his t-shirt to his lip. It was a white t-shirt and already the arm had been stained a bloody red. "What's happening?" Alex demanded. Obviously, this wasn't a targeted attack against him, it seemed as though his whole team was involved – but what was happening?

"Are you okay?" Snake asked, standing. He ignored the fact that his shirt was blood-red and that it looked like his lip had only just begun to dry.

"Just answer me, dammit," Alex responded, feeling the all-too-familiar frustration run through him. "What's going on?"

"RTI," Snake responded as he glanced at Alex's face. "Yeah, you'll have a black eye in the morning, that's for sure."

"RTI?" Alex asked with a puzzled frown.

"You mean you didn't get a training schedule or anything?" Snake asked, his mouth open in shock. They'd all been warned about RTI training. Obviously, they'd forgotten to warn the kid.

"No," Alex responded with a brisk shrug. "They just stuck me with you guys."

"This is RTI – resistance to interrogation," Snake responded. "They test you to see whether or not you can stand up to torture in a real-life situation."

"Why am I here?" Alex asked, a chill suddenly going through him. "I'm not even really part of your unit – Wolf's made that quite clear – and I'm just a kid!"

"I don't know," Snake replied with a shake of his head. "It's only supposed to last a day and a half, though," he said, "unless we find a way out sooner."

"Damn," Alex muttered with a shake of his head. A day and a half for the K-Unit to find out about his scars, that was so not good. "So how do we get out of here?"

"I've already checked," Snake said. "There's no way to escape, so unless we can overpower the guards…"

"Eagle and Fox are both a black belt in karate," Alex volunteered, not mentioning himself. His shoulder throbbed. He winced and touched his arm gingerly; it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.

"How is your arm?" Snake demanded as he glanced at Alex. He hadn't missed the sensitive motion. "Are you on painkiller for that?"

Alex nodded as he winced again. He considered himself to be pretty tough, but his captors – he still preferred to think of them like that - hadn't exactly been gentle on his arm. "Yeah," he said with a tired sigh.

"And let me guess – you didn't take it last night, and you can't take it now," Snake said as he ran a hand through his hair. He slipped into his pocket and held out two ibuprofen. "Here, take these. I usually carry them with me on combat day, but didn't need them today."

"Thanks," Alex said, grateful. He swallowed the pills with a grimace as Wolf was tossed in.

"Little boy, little boy," Shorty mocked. He made his way over to where Alex was standing. Alex didn't flinch; he knew from karate that showing your fear to opponents was dangerous. "What's your name, little boy?"

"Fuck you."

From the floor, Wolf chortled. So perhaps they wouldn't be binned because of the brat.

Shorty grabbed Alex's already-sore arm and twisted, hard. "Your name, or he gets shot," he said, pointing his gun at Wolf.

"Didn't you clean out your ears?" Alex said, attempting not to show fear, although he guessed that his heart was beating at a hundred miles a minute. "Fuck – you," he said, saying it clearly so that everyone would understand.

Shorty shrugged and twisted Alex's arm one more time. It was then when he passed out.

## break ##

"He's coming too now, Snake," he heard Fox's voice say. "Cub, wake up, mate."

"Wha?" Alex said as he blinked his eyes open. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, mate," Snake said with a grim face, "we're still in RTI. How's your arm? You passed out about four hours ago."

"Should've thought of that," Alex muttered with a grimace, "Ibuprofen knocks me out. Sorry," he said, not wanting to have unnecessarily worried Snake.

Snake breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Good."

Then, suddenly, the door opened. Their tormenters were back.

## break ##

They managed to pass through RTI without much further incident. Snake had calmly and coldly made the move to protect Alex to make sure he wasn't further hurt. As soon as they were finished, they made their way back to the hut. They'd barely managed to escape.

"We're going to the infirmly as soon as you change," Snake informed Alex as he dug through his suitcase. They'd managed to come out of RTI fairly fine with only a few bumps and bruises. Still, Shorty hadn't been kind to Alex's arm, and Snake wanted it checked out.

Alex froze. "I thought you were the medic of the team," he responded, "can't you just look at me?"

Snake shook his head. "You really need to get that arm checked out, and I can't x-ray you. Sorry, mate. Wolf, a word?" he asked, and the two stepped outside.

"What's up?" Wolf asked. He knew somehow that Snake wasn't just dragging Cub down to the infirmly to get his arm checked out.

"I'm going to take Cub to the infirmly to get his arm checked out. Can you cover for me if we're not back by dinner, and make sure Eagle doesn't eat everything?"

Wolf grinned. "Sure," he responded. The only nice thing about RTI training is that they had the rest of the day off. Which was good, Wolf was exhausted. "How did he handle it?"

"Didn't give anything away," Snake responded. He'd been surprised at that. Shorty had not exactly been merciful. "I want to check him over, too. He seems like he's hiding an injury and I'd like to know why."

"Yeah," Wolf muttered, "Don't want him bleeding on our watch; I imagine the sergeant would be pissed about that."

Snake rolled his eyes and the two made their way back into the hut.

"Come on, Cub," Fox said as he held out one of Cub's shirts to him, "You've got to get changed. You're soaking wet."

"I'm fine!" Alex responded as he slowly made the move to lift off his shirt, then thought better of it as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Wait," Snake said, blocking his way. "Alex, take off your shirt. I want to see something."

"I don't swing that way, you jackass pedophile," Alex said. He was now nervous. Alex was going to move past Snake, but Snake blocked him.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't injured too badly in that training," Snake responded. He knew he had the attention of everyone in his unit. "Look," he said, tiredly, "It's either this, or we go to let Dr. Diablo check you out, and she's worse than I am."

"Fine," Alex responded. So what if they knew he had scars? It wasn't like they were going to do anything about it, he told himself.

With that, Alex slowly lifted his shirt up, revealing the dark, ugly marks. "Happy now?" he asked, his heart beating rapidly.

They were about to discover his – and perhaps the nations' – darkest secret.

## break ##

So - what's "the nation's" and "Alex's" greatest secret? They've discovered the scars - where are they from?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Well - I hope you all enjoy! Warning for a bit of language.

Challenge at the bottom.

Warning - updates may be a bit spotty over the next few weeks. I will continue to write but I will loose 2 days to volunteering and 2 days to school, so they may be touch-and-go, but I will **make sure** that I update. I've already written most of ch7.

**Dedicated to Jayden95 who beta'd this. **

## break ##

"Are you fucking happy now?" Alex Rider spat as he glared at the men, who stood shocked. Snake's first thought was that no child should have bruises like that. Alex's thought, however, was that they were going to discover his secrets. He swallowed hard, visibly. "You want to know how my mother died?" His voice was eerily cold for a fourteen year old boy.

Wolf was surprised at the sudden change in Alex's demeanor, but didn't push it, knowing if they didn't get the story out now they never would. "She died in a car crash," Alex lied, saying the first thing that came to his mind. He knew he was lying but didn't care. Well, his mother did die in a car crash, but the rest of what he was about to say wasn't the truth. "I was there with her. Plus, some of those are from that stupid ass exercise you called RTI."

Fox was the first to regain his voice. "I'm sorry, Cub. They - _we_ - didn't know."

"What, my father didn't write you a memo on me or hand you his file on me?" Alex asked. His voice was dripping bitter hatred. "Fuck you all." With that, he stormed out the door.

K-Unit's hut suddenly became momentarily silent. Then Eagle spoke. "Something's wrong," he said. His tone of voice was completely serious.

"Of course something's wrong, Eagle – the kid's mother died, and his father uses the SAS as his get-out-of-jail free card for hiring a babysitter, and we get stuck with the brat," Wolf declared.

"That's not what I meant," Eagle responded. Since he was being serious, Wolf shut up instantly. "Look – the kid's bruise on his back that was really fresh, I think that was from RTI training. But those bruises weren't from a car."

Even Snake turned to look at Eagle now. "How do you know? What medical training do you have?"

"I'm on your side, Snake," Eagle said, his voice suddenly cold and detached, "but those bruises weren't form a car wreck. No…" Eagle thought, pausing for a minute, the realization hitting him instantly. "They were from a whip," he said instantly.

## break ##

Alex was sulking behind the mess hall. Four days in and his unit had discovered his 'secret'.

His life had been hell ever since he'd been born. His father had never wanted him and had never been around. He didn't have any relatives. He was put in boarding school after boarding school until he was old enough to be in middle school and was "able to take care of himself."

The boarding schools were god awful and his punishments could be considered borderline abusive if they weren't outright abuse. Then he'd gotten home to his loving _father_, who when he was home, would beat the shit out of him for whatever he'd done wrong while he was away... if he bothered to talk to him or look at him at all. While his father was away, his guardian would do it.

His caretaker loved to whip him. Alex had tried to tell his father about that, but Blunt wouldn't listen. _"I don't have time to listen to your damn whining_," he'd said, then he'd smacked Alex so hard that Alex had been left with a broken nose. And then, as if it were perfectly normal, he went to work.

Alex had stopped talking to his father after that. His mother was slightly better, at least _she'd_ only ignore him. She didn't whip him or beat him. When having Alex didn't get the attention from her husband that she wanted, she made it a point to ignore her child even when he, too, had pleaded with her for help. And Alex knew not to go to any teachers – he'd been beaten by enough of them that they wouldn't think it was wrong.

So why was the K-Unit, Snake in particular, so worried about his scars? His whole life had been like this – beatings, being unloved, and being starved. Alex just shook his head. Maybe it was just the SAS. Maybe it was some code thing, or something.

"Hey, there you are!" a voice came from behind him and Alex groaned. It was Eagle, who he normally liked talking too, but didn't want too now. He'd seen the way that the man had looked at him when he'd called Snake a 'jackass pedophile' and feared that the man would be angry with him as well. "We were looking everywhere – hey, Cub, get back here!"

Alex had taken off at lightening speed, leaving his sling in the dust. He knew he could outrace Eagle, he'd been able to do it before. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that Eagle was used to the physical training far more than he was and that his body was physically exhausted from the RTI training.

That, and the fact that Eagle was a full-grown, 180 pound, muscle-bound male. "Cub, I just want to talk!" he called, wondering why the teenager had chosen to flee.

"Oh, yeah!" Alex called back, seeing the man behind him. They'd closed two kilometers of distance now. "Just like they all want to talk, huh?"

"Look, if you'd just stop and talk to me, maybe I could help you!" Eagle shouted, even though he didn't know if he would be able too.

"You can't help me!" Alex called back. "Nobody fucking wants to help me anymore. I don't care, alright, dammit? Just _let me bloody die!"_

## Break ##

"Do you think we did the right thing, sending Eagle out after Cub?" Fox asked. The two hadn't come back for almost half an hour now and he was worried.

"He's injured," Snake said, "and he's just a teenager, so he's probably got a lot of teenager-wise emotions going through him. We've just discovered his 'secret'," Snake added, making air quotes, "whatever the hell it is. Yeah, someone needed to go after him."

"And he's not going to listen to any of us," Wolf said with a sigh. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel now. On one hand, he believed Eagle; there was _something_ more to the kid's story. But on another hand, wouldn't the kid of MI6's head be well taken care of by his parents?

"If he is actually being abused," Fox said, speaking up nervously, "What are we going to do about it? I mean, it's not like we can care for him full time while we're in the SAS."

"Oh, what, you think Eagle could be right?" Wolf sneered. While he personally thought that there was something more to the story, he felt like the kid was just hiding something. If the kid was really in trouble, his rich-ass father could handle it.

Fox rolled his eyes. "Look, you know I trained to be a social worker during my time at uni, and _yes_ I think there's something more there. So what do we do?"

Snake checked his watch. "It's lights out in half an hour. There's virtually no danger too great that either Eagle or Cub could get into _this _early. If they aren't back by morning, we'll alert the sergeant. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to collapse."

"Fine," Fox said, although Wolf could tell that he was less than happy.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thank you for the overwhelming response to the last chapter! I was pleasantly surprised by how many people told me I'd forgotten to post the challenge! I'm assuming most of you realized that I was very tired when posting and just didn't realize it. Also, we're up to ten reviews per chapter - how awesome! If everyone who reads this story would simply comment... I'd be totally overwhelmed. Anyone who comments will get a mention in the next chapter. _

_Thanks to Jayden95, my lovely beta! _

Challenge at the bottom. I promise!

-transition-

Alex ran blindly into the woods. Had Eagle realized that he wasn't telling the truth? If so - why? It wasn't as if he hadn't told the same lies a hundred thousand times before. They'd always been accepted. Not only had the lies been accepted as gospel truth, no one ever pried.

His "family secret," as his father had so bluntly put it, was _their_ secret. Alex couldn't tell anyone. No one was supposed to find out.

More importantly, no-one cared. So why were these guys suddenly making a big deal over his treatment? It wasn't that he liked living with his father - he would gladly trade his living situation to something else - but he was certain that nothing would ever materialize, and he'd only end up punished.

"_Alex, you know that if something is happening at home, you can talk to us, right?" _

_Why did these guys care? There was no reason for them too.. _Unless they wanted to blackmail his father for money. There had been that one man who... Alex shut that thought down right there. There was nothing that he could do about that.

So what was the problem with these men? Did they want the money from his father, or something? Alex wouldn't put it past them. If they figured out what was wrong... and went to his father... Alex inwardly shuddered. It hardly mattered. The man would just buy them off... or have them relocated. Or something else.

Not paying attention, Alex tripped and fell, sprawling face down into the dirt. He groaned, his body already sore from his previous beatings and RTI training. Alex passed out.

## break ##

Eagle swore as he saw Cub (what was his real name, anyway?) trip and fall on something. On one hand, this was his chance to finally catch up with Cub. He paused, making his movements quieter as he came closer.

Cub had pulled his arm over his head, as if he was protecting himself. But he wasn't moving. Eagle frowned. He'd been desperate to get away from Eagle; what did he think Eagle was going to do? Bin him? They couldn't bin him; he was only there for temporarily. Beat him up? Eagle snorted. Wolf might be pissed at the kid, and Snake would no doubt be unhappy about being called... whatever the kid had called him, but they wouldn't beat him.

They were SAS on active duty, after all.

Gently, Eagle put his hand on Alex's shoulder. No response. Eagle lowered his head, checking for breathing. There was some breathing, so that was good. Eagle groaned as the sky became dark. The last thing he needed was to try and get out of the forest in the dark. Oh, he could do it, but it would be a pain in the ass.

He checked over Cub as best as he could. The kid had just passed out. Feeling like a complete pedophile, Eagle gently lifted his shirt. If the kid's injuries had been agitated, he needed to know. It wouldn't surprise him if he had; the kid had just taken a really bad fall.

Eagle swore softly when he glanced at the bruises. He put the shirt down, having seen way more than he'd wanted too. He had been right - there were no way those bruises were from a car. They reminded him of his own bruises from his childhood that he'd gotten.

_But his father's the head of bloody MI6, Eagle. He'd take care of a problem if... _Wolf's words rang in his head. Could Wolf be right? The head of MI6 surely wouldn't let someone abuse his son, right? And he certainly wouldn't abuse his son - someone would have noticed.

_But what if he __**would**__?_ Eagle thought. _And where the hell were all these scars from? _

Eagle knew he needed to try and wake Cub up - they were going to have to start making their way back to the cabin, and it would be a long walk - but they had to do it. He knew the team wouldn't bother to look for them until morning. It was an unwritten rule. He sighed, wondering how to deal with this new information.

If he was right - who would believe him? Things would be a lot less complicated if his father wasn't the leader of MI6. It didn't matter, though. Eagle couldn't bear to see someone else go through what he'd been through. He'd make sure Cub got some help if there was any way possible that he could.

Now he just had to wake the kid up.

-transition-

Wolf groaned as he awoke. He checked his watch; it was four o'clock in the morning. But when nature calls, it doesn't really wait for the time. He sighed as he got up, did his business, and then made his way back to the cabin.

He froze. Eagle and Cub were still missing. He checked his watch again. The numbers 4:10 glared back at him.

Okay, now there was going to be hell to pay for the two teenage companions. (Technically, Eagle wasn't a teenager, but he sure as hell felt like it). If they were in trouble, Wolf would perhaps be a little merciful, but... He sighed as he gently shook Snake.

Snake jolted out of his sleep, his foot smashing into Wolf's back. "Wha-"

"Jesus Christ, Snake," Wolf whispered as he spat. "We've got to get up."

"What time is it? Did the sergeant plan a raid? Is RTI going on outside?" Snake asked, half-mumbling. "Did I forget to do some chore?"

"No," Wolf said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Now he'd have to wake up Fox. "Eagle and the kid aren't back yet."

"So what do we do?" Snake asked as he pulled on a t-shirt. His bones groaned in silent protest; 4:30 in the morning was really too damn early to be up.

"Go find them before they burn down the camp," Wolf said simply, making his way towards the door.

"Wait," Snake said, grabbing his arm. Wolf turned back, sharply. He was the leader and he wasn't used to having his orders questioned. "We need a plan, or we're going to_ all _be in trouble with the Sergeant."

"Fine," Wolf growled as he sank back to the door. "So, start talking. What's your plan?"

_-break-_

_A/N: A double challenge this time, since I forgot last time. __So how long until they find Eagle and Alex? And what will happen when they do, in fact, discover Alex's darkest secret? _


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Chapter eight is up! I hope that you guys continue to review, and enjoy. Thanks for making this story a success!

**Thanks to the following people: **xlivilightx, ALu-di, ., (space), troyella-lover, MyOpium , Tigertopaz-Titanium Banana, ALBANY, biblioholic, Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur, DammitimmaD and ecritchie.

A special thanks to Jayden95 for the beta – any remaining mistakes are mine.

If you're bored after reading this, feel free to check out my other Alex Rider pieces of work.

## break ##

"Let go of me!" Alex cried, now suddenly awake as he jerked away from Eagle's touch. he couldn't understand why he and the man were alone. "Don't touch me!" Suddenly, it all flashed back: Eagle running after him; he screaming that he'd rather die, him calling Snake a jackass pedophile... Alex closed his eyes as he thought about the whole scenario.

Why'd he have to tell Snake off? Snake had been somewhat nice to him. There went his only hope of someone treating him halfway decent at the camp. Not that it really mattered. He was sure his father would ship him off soon enough, and he'd be all alone… again.

He struggled against Eagle. Alex wasn't sure what the man wanted, but suspected that it was nothing good. He tightly closed his eyes, wondering what on earth Eagle had in store for him. He had to get away.

"Whoa, easy, Cub!" Eagle said, instantly releasing his hold on Alex. Alex allowed himself to fall to the ground as he glared at Eagle.

"I _hate_ you! Don't touch me!" Alex said, shoving against Eagle. All he could think about was how Eagle had seen everything. If Eagle had been abused, like he'd overheard Fox say, he probably knew everything too. He had no doubt that would mean a lot of pain for him. "Fuck off!"

"Whoa, easy, Cub!" Eagle said. He held up his hands. "I just want to help."

"You don't understand," Alex responded with a glare. "You _can't _help me. Nobody can help me! My father's the head of MI6 - you can't help me!"

"Look," Eagle said, taking out a breath, knowing that unless they addressed this issue they wouldn't be heading back to the base anytime soon, "I've been in your shoes, Cub."

"They're too small for you," Alex responded, denying the obvious of what Eagle was trying to tell him.

Eagle rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Cub - I meant I've been where you're at now. My father was someone very important in Brittan. Influential. He was a Sergeant, just like the good old man we love to mock."

"Good for you. That how you got into the SAS?"

"That's why I chose to go to the SAS, but that's not why I got in. Family connections don't do any good in the SAS," Eagle explained at Alex's confused look. "But my father was also an alcoholic. He was abusive, Cub." With that, Eagle took off his own shirt.

Alex stared. If he'd thought the scars on his back were impressive, they were nothing compared to Eagle's. Eagle slipped his shirt back on and continued. "You can guess the rest of the story. But I got help, I got out of my situation. We can help you, Cub. I don't know how, but I think you're in a bad situation, and that you need out of it."

"Wolf doesn't," Alex said with a glare.

"I'm not Wolf," Eagle reminded Alex gently, "and I think Snake's on my side, too. Listen, I want to help you, but I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"How do I do that?" Alex demanded.

Eagle sighed inwardly, being careful not to let his worry show. _How do you tell what's wrong? Where would they even begin?_

"Alex, get down!" he shouted suddenly, seeing the bullet fly overhead. Without warning, he shoved the unsuspecting teen to the ground. They were under siege.

_### break ###_

"I don't know what to do with those two," Wolf grumbled to Fox as he made his way through the shrubbery. Snake was on the best terms with the sergeant and had gone to alert him of the situation. Wolf was sure that if Snake had anything to do with it, the camp would be crawling with SAS men shortly.

He exhaled slowly, wondering what had happened. Despite his teasing that Eagle and Cub were going to burn down the camp, they hadn't yet, and Wolf was worried. He just wouldn't admit it out loud.

"I don't know, either." Fox sighed as he wiped the sweat out of his eyes. "You know, it's a good thing this isn't our first time through. We'd probably get binned for this."

"Nah," Wolf responded with a dismissive shrug, even though that had been on his thoughts.

"So, out of all the teams who are here, why did we get stuck with Cub?" Fox asked. He wasn't angry, he was just curious; that much Wolf could tell by the tone of his voice.

"Oh, please," Wolf responded, "like I'd know."

"Of course you know," Fox responded merrily as he side-stepped to avoid stepping on a frog. There were just some nature-oriented things that he did not love. "You were the one who talked to the sergeant, sir."

Wolf rolled his eyes, knowing that Fox wouldn't stop until he got his answers. "Okay, if you really want to know, you can't tell anyone else."

Fox was silent, waiting for Wolf to continue, his way of saying, "I know that, stupid."

"Remember how you said we probably got custody of Cub because we already have experience dealing with a kid – Eagle?" Wolf questioned.

"Oh, yes," Fox responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, that's almost the entire truth. The sergeant knew that we had to make a few adjustments – not many, mind you – to our training because of Eagle's nightmares and crap, and he said that he knew we could deal with Cub because we could deal with Eagle."

"I was almost right," Fox said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Seriously, though, I think sometimes the kid's more mature than Eagle is."

"Sometimes I think a potty-training three year old could be more mature than Eagle," Wolf grumbled as he made his way through the thicket. "In all seriousness, though… Do you think something's going on with Cub?"

"Well, of course something's going on with Cub," Fox said with a roll of his eyes. "We knew that from the day he stepped in."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Wolf grumbled.

"Okay, okay." Fox sighed as he lowered his voice, even though there was nobody who could hear him in the forest. "Yes, I think Cub is probably being abused. I don't think his stories add up. Are you happy now?"

"Just peachy," Wolf grumbled. He held up his hand. "Wait. Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, that's a bullet," Fox said. He glanced at his watch. "It's only 5:10. Nobody has their weapons training at this time."

"Hopefully, it's just D-Unit taking shots at rabbits again," Wolf grumbled as he drew his own weapon from his holster. He stared at Fox incredulously. "Where is yours?"

"Left it at the cabin..."

"Why didn't you _take it_?" Wolf demanded, suddenly pissed off. He shoved the communications radio at Fox. Cell phone reception was shit out here in the forest. "Do me a damn favor and call Snake. Tell him to get the Sergeant and the rest of the units out here asap... oh, shit," he breathed, looking at the small pool of blood in the clearing.

"That didn't come from an animal," Fox said, crouching down as he looked at the scene, being the first to find his voice.

_What the hell had happened?_

## break ##

A/N: Your challenge – answer Fox's question: "What the hell had happened", and… where did that blood come from? I'm sure I'll get some wild theories, so just guess!

I was checking the stats on this story. The last chapter had over 300 hits. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, and a special thanks to those who took the time to review. If you read this far, I ask you to take just a second and hit the purple button, even if it's just a copied and pasted "please update." Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks to Jayden95 for the beta. Updating might be interesting this next week as it looks like internship's about to hit full-force. I have an interview tomorrow - wish me luck._

_Challenge at the bottom, and yes I did put a challenge there this time!_

* * *

><p><em>Thirty minutes prior to Fox's discovery… <em>

"Don't move," the gunman ordered. He had his gun to the small of Alex's back and didn't look like he was going to move anytime soon. Alex groaned in pain. There was blood, Eagle noted, dripping from his arm. "Kneel down and put your hands behind your head _very slowly_."

"Why? Afraid I'll kick your ass?" Eagle asked even as he knelt in the dirt. He wasn't going to show any sign of weakness if he could help it. And if he had to hide behind sarcasm and witty remarks, he would.

"I have the gun, you might want to be careful what you say," the man responded in a taunting tone of voice. He shoved Cub forward to the ground, and the teenage boy toppled. He gasped as he caught himself with his injured arm, and Eagle noticed the teen boy wasn't wearing his sling. _Figures, kid's as stubborn as me when it comes to injuries_, Eagle thought with a tired sigh. "Search him, Cub. I want his weapons – anything. You know the drill," the man said in a **sing-song **voice.

"No," Cub responded, planting his feet firmly on the ground as he attempted to get up. A bullet fired, and Eagle noticed that the man had reverted to using his silencer. He couldn't help but notice that the bullet hit directly into Cub's arm, and winced when Cub cried out in pain.

Eagle was careful to show no sympathy, even though he felt it. One of the first things they were taught was not to show any sympathy towards a comrade when in battle, captured, or at risk of being captured; that would give their captor that much more of a risk o**f** hurting that comrade or holding that power over them.

"The next one won't be in such a nice spot, Kid. Move, dammit, we don't have all day." The man was starting to get agitated, now, and although Eagle was proud of Cub's defiance, he really hoped the kid would listen. The last thing he wanted was to be shot, too.

"Fuck you," Cub responded, but he moved over to Eagle anyway. He awkwardly searched Eagle's pockets and removed his gun. When the man had his head turned for a second, Cub took Eagle's pocketknife and slipped it into his own pocket. Cub scowled as he tossed Eagle's cell phone to the ground.

"That's much better, Alex," the man responded.

So Alex was the kid's name, Eagle thought. But how did the man know him?

"Shove it, Barkley, or I'll stick it up you're a—" _and how did Alex know the man? At least he had a name now. _Although Eagle wasn't sure if that was good or bad; hearing a name did give him less chance of survival. Still, at least he had some information.

"Language, language," the man said. He shoved Alex to the ground and kicked him. "How's your daddy doing? Does he know yet what I do with you when he's not home?"

"Fuck you," Alex muttered, but Eagle could see his shoulders sag.

_Wolf, Fox, Snake, this would be a great time for you guys to discover me missing, _he thought.

The time on his watch read 4:10 AM – the same time Wolf had woken up.

* * *

><p><em>LATER…<em>

"Damn it," Wolf hissed. He knew Fox was right. So much for his theory that D-Unit was hunting rabbits again. Although he had to say he much rather would have preferred that option. "Get that radio working, Fox. We've got to radio the sergeant and -,"

"No need, we're here," the sergeant said, abruptly cutting him off. "Fox, close your mouth, you're going to attract flies. Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"Fox seems to know the most," Wolf said, jerking his thumb his direction.

"Hey!" Fox said, put off. "Just because I agreed with Eagle's theory doesn't mean that I know anymore than you do –"

"But you're going to explain, because you're the one who dragged us out here."

"No, _you _–"

"Would someone PLEASE explain what's going on?" the sergeant demanded, the frustration on his face clearly evident.

"Fine," Wolf responded. "Cub and Eagle weren't back last night by **23**00. We decided to go to sleep, thinking that they'd probably just come back late. I woke up at approximately 0400 and noticed that they weren't there. Now we've got this blood on the ground and no idea what's going on."

The sergeant was silent for a second. "They weren't back in their barracks, that's odd. I know that Eagle's pulled a lot of stunts, but I don't see this as something he'd do. Despite what you think, Eagle is fairly responsible. Now, Fox, what's Eagle's theory that you agreed with?"

Fox looked put off once more but revealed the theory anyway. "Cub's been behaving out of sorts ever since he got here—"

"You can hardly blame him," the sergeant interrupted, "after all, his mother just died."

"That was true?" Wolf interrupted, his mouth opening in surprise.

"Yes, it was. If you made an ass of yourself when he said something about it, I don't want to know about it. Anyway, continue, Fox."

"Anyway, Eagle thought there was more to Cub's story about his 'injured' arm," Fox said, using quotation marks to show that he didn't fully believe that Cub's arm was simply injured. "And then he started asking Cub questions. We all saw Cub's back…"

"Hell of a lot of injuries for some sixteen year old kid," Wolf interrupted, "and I although I'm not sure I think he was abused, I don't think that he was telling the truth that he got all of those scars from the accident."

"And that was Cub's response to why he had the scars. Eagle thought that Cub had been abused."

"Did he say why he thought that?" the sergeant asked, a cross look on his face.

A look passed between Fox and Wolf, and then between Wolf and Snake. "We didn't really give him much chance to explain, sir."

The sergeant sighed. "Well, we need to find them. His father's due back tomorrow, and the head of MI6 will rain wrath down on our heads if we lost his kid at training camp. I also want to hear Eagle's theory for why he thinks Cub is abused. And Wolf –"

"Yes, sir?" Wolf asked, knowing he was in for it now.

"If you suspect anyone has been abused, especially if they're underage, you come to me, no matter who the theory is from or how much bullshit you think it is. This whole situation might have been prevented if I'd have known something. Clear?"

"Crystal," Wolf mumbled as he made his way over to where Snake was standing, looking at a large map.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we've got a lot of ground to cover and a short time to do it, especially if we now need to prove an abuse case as well," the sergeant responded. "Snake, you come up with a plan to search the grounds. Wolf, you're with me. We'll need all the cadets in on this. Fox, help Snake."

Fox nodded briskly, suddenly glad he'd believed Eagle's theory. And then – "Wait a minute," he said, "The kid's father is the _head_ of MI6?"

And there went his hope of getting a promotion there when the SAS was done.

* * *

><p><em>Challenge: Do you still think Fox will apply for MI6 like he did in the books?<em>

_What's going to happen to Alex?_

_If Blunt is prosocuted and his custody of Alex is taken away, who will get custody of him?_

_Will Eagle get to live?_

_(That's a lot of challenges - pick two, or if you have time respond to all of them).  
><em>

_R&R  
><em>


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here's chapter ten! I'm overwhelmed by the response I'm getting to the story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I will say this about the previous time's challenge. If you read the reviews, you will see that one person got the answer right of who was supposed to take in custody of Alex at the end. I'm not saying which reviewer guessed it correctly until it's revealed, and for all you know it could technically be more than one person who guessed correctly. Oh, wait, that means that Alex would have to not be in Blunt's custody. Hmmm... But one person is right, so if you're curious... :p

Anyway, your challenge is at the bottom. Thanks to those who reviewed! My interview went well and decided to update today as a "reward".

THANKS TO JAYDEN95 FOR THE BETA! :-)

* * *

><p>Alex leaned over and vomited into the nearby bucket. It was clear he wasn't feeling well. Barkley had gotten the bullet out of Alex's arm but hadn't really cleaned the wound, so so Eagle knew there was risk of infection. Eagle had been treated to some of what Alex had been going through, and knew there was no way in hell he'd let the man walk off with Alex if there was any other alternative that Eagle could think of…<p>

… even if it meant that he paid the ultimate price.

Suddenly, it was as if Barkley was aware of the fact that Eagle was drifting off. He kicked Eagle in the leg. "How do I reach your sergeant?" he growled. "I'd like to have a little talk with him. How much do you think I can get for your ransom, huh?" he snarled.

The sergeant was one of the few people who had a phone in his office. Eagle couldn't help but wonder if it was for times like these. "You could call him but—" he was cut off by a new arrival.

"Glad you were able to get 'the goods' before I arrived," a man said as he came in. Barkley whirled around, only to see the other man. He visibly relaxed. "Welcome, glad you're back, sir. Is business better than ever?" he asked. The smile on his face made Eagle want to puke. He didn't like how things were going to go for Alex and him.

_Where were Wolf, Snake and Fox? Hadn't they alerted the sergeant? Contrary to what Barkley probably thought, the hut wasn't that far from K-Unit's bunk. Alex hadn't had time to get that far. So where were his comrades? He desperately needed them! _Eagle sighed quietly, shifting. He hated sitting still.

Especially when there was a gun pointed to his head and there was no alternative _but_ to sit still…

"Indeed," the man responded. He smiled, ruffling Alex's hair. The kid pulled away from him abruptly. "Now, now, Alex, that's no way to greet your father."

_Father? _Eagle thought. _Was his theory right? _He had been exposed to dozens of acts of violence himself, yet even he was surprised when Alex was backhanded twice. "Welcome back, _boy_," the man sneered. He grabbed Alex by his chin and forced him to look directly into his eyes. "I never wanted you." He let Alex's chin drop. "You're worthless, you know that? Good for nothing." He gave a final kick into his side as he turned to the other man. "What's your plan for this other man? He knows too much."

Barkley shrugged. "Maybe you could use some free house help," he suggested. Eagle bristled at how the man talked about him like he wasn't even there, but bit his tongue. The last thing he wanted to do was make a dumb comment and end up dead.

"Maybe," the other man nodded. It was then that Eagle's mouth dropped open. "Tell you what. I'm going to go meet the sergeant now and say I'm here to pick up Alex. I'll raise a ruckus, and then we'll get the hell out of here. Sound good?"

"What about him?" the man said, pointing to Eagle. "We can't let him live – he knows too much."

A chill went through Eagle's spine as Blunt walked over to him. Blunt kicked Eagle in his leg, and then said, "What's your name?" he asked even as he put out his cigarette he'd just lit in Eagle's arm. The end butt was hot and dug directly into Eagle's skin.

A hiss came from Eagle's lips, but he didn't cry out. "Eagle," Eagle said, stubbornly refusing to give out his real name. He was backhanded against the mouth. The attack was so vicious that it sent him down to the floor, despite the fact that he'd had a pretty good balance. _"What's your name?"_

"Eagle," Eagle responded with a roll of his eyes. He wasn't going to admit that his name was really Michael Reed. No way in hell.

"I said," Blunt responded, grabbing a fist full of Eagle's hair and ramming his head against the pole, "Your name?"

"I told you already," Eagle responded as he spat out blood that seeped from him biting his tongue, "Eagle."

Blunt looked like he was about ready to attack Eagle again, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Look, I'll be here awhile, I'll work on getting the information. Why don't you go take care of the situation?"

"Sure," Blunt responded. Without a second glance at Eagle, or his son, he walked out of the door, slamming it as he went off into the night.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're the ones looking for the damn kid," Wolf grumbled under his breath as he trudged through the dirt. "And Eagle. This isn't at all like him."<p>

"I think this is your way of saying you're worried,'" Fox responded with a grin. He was always happy at a chance to annoy Wolf. Wolf rolled his eyes. Maybe he should be less snappy; his team mates always loved to piss him off. At least Fox did it more tactfully than Eagle.

Hell, Cub was more tactful than Eagle.

Fox sobered instantly at the shadow. "Wait!"

There was a man coming out of the house. He was wearing a dress suit. He carefully tucked his pistol into his jacket pocket. "Recognize him?" Fox demanded, his mouth dropping open.

"No," Wolf said, giving Fox a 'don't-you-dare-patronize-me-we-don't-have-time' look. "Do you?"

"That's the head of MI6!" Fox hissed excitedly.

"Yeah, we'll get you your signature…" Wolf started, and then stopped. "Damn, Fox! That's the kid's father, right, then?"

"Holy shit. What's he doing here?"

"Let's split up," Wolf responded. He pointed to the hut. "He was coming from there. Since you know him, you follow him and I'll check out the hut."

"FAB," Fox responded as he slipped after the man.

Or started too, anyway. Wolf grabbed his arm. "What the hell?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as if Fox had talked to him in some sort of secret code. "FAB? What the hell does that stand for…" he scratched his head. "Fine and bright?"

"Thunderbird thing. Don't worry about it," Fox responded, giving Wolf a patronizing smile as he made his way towards his former hero.

Wolf shook his head. _Fox really did watch way too much TV… _

It was with a renounced determination that he checked his pistol and walked toward the cabin. Always one for action rather than caution, he hastily turned the door knob and opened the door. He ducked instinctively when he heard the bullet fire, and then raised his own weapon.

Eagle was sprawled out uncomfortably on the floor, his arms bound behind his back. Cub's arms were also tied, and Wolf noticed that he had blood dropping from his mouth. Wolf leveled his pistol at the man. "I don't know who the hell you are," he responded, "but you have about two seconds to start explaining yourself before I arrest you for treason."

* * *

><p>Challenge: Still ongoing. After hearing the author note, who do you think will get custody of Alex?<p>

Do you think Wolf will be attacked?

Will Fox loose all respect for his hero when he hears the full story?

What will happen to Alex?

You don't have to answer all of the challenges, or any. I love any review of any kind. Thanks! Writer With Sprite

(For those of you following Hold Your Arms Steady: Chapter Nineteen Is Posted!)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Wow, the response to this has really been overwhelming! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Thanks to PhantomLoveNeverDies, who spent the time searching for the reviews and pointed out that only 1 person had mentioned Fox. I should say that one person guessed who was going to get custody of Wolf, but I guess I also should have included that more than one person could have gotten it right also.

You all are awesome! Thanks to Jayden95 for the beta. She's recently posted an Alex Rider fic, go check it out!

Challenge at the end of this chapter.

* * *

><p>The bullet fired before anyone – except Barkley – could do anything. Barkley shot the bullet, and it whizzed right by Wolf. He'd missed by a fraction of an inch; the bullet had almost gone into Wolf's blue night shirt. No-one had taken the time to change into their proper dress clothes before searching for Eagle and Cub. Wolf didn't hesitate; he fired and Barkley went down.<p>

"Glad to see you," Eagle responded. Wolf had crossed the floor by then, digging his pocket knife out of his pocket. He sliced through Eagle's bonds.

"Get the hell out of here and bring backup," Wolf responded, shoving the communication radio into his hands that had been on the floor. Wolf didn't know if it worked or not but something was better than nothing at this point.

"What about -"

"I've got Cub. Go!" Wolf responded. He bent down towards Cub, who looked warily suspicious of him. "It's okay, Cub, we got you."

"You can't let me go back!" Cub was panicked, now, and the look on his face showed it. He pulled away as Wolf tried to get him free. "I don't want to go back!"

"Who don't you want to go back too?" Wolf said, hesitating as he sliced through Alex's ropes.

"My father! I can't go back with him, Wolf. Please! You have to understand. He hates me! He dumped me here. You know those scars on my back? He gave half of them to me! The other half were from this guy, who my dad hired! Please, Wolf!"

Two things seemed wrong about the situation. No, wait, three. One: Cub was obviously being abused. Two: Cub was begging Wolf.

Three: Eagle had a theory and it had been right. Which made it seem like the world was about to end.

_Wolf should have believed him._

That hardly mattered. Right now he had to focus on the other man bleeding, Cub, and getting them all out of there alive.

Although he could have cared less if Barkley lived.

"Deep breaths, Cub," Wolf responded. "We'll make sure that we work something out, okay?" he asked as he cut Cub's ropes free.

Cub nodded, then took a gulping sob. Wolf glanced over at Barkley. He'd passed out, but he was still breathing. He'd live, especially if Fox was able to get help for him fast enough. Who cared if he got an infection? Right now Wolf had one agenda on his mind: Calming down a distraught teenager.

"I can't go with him," Cub sobbed, "I can't, and I don't want too, and I hate him, and…"

"Deep breaths, okay?" Wolf responded. His sister had an anxiety disorder and he'd dealt with all of this before – mostly after breakups with boyfriends who never should have dated his sister in the first place.

Maybe that was why he'd been so angry at Cub in the first place. He reminded Wolf of the man who had dated his sister and thrown a punch at her. Wolf sighed, thinking that he'd really better stop judging people. "We're going to work something out," Wolf said. "That's a promise, Cub. I don't know what it will be, but I'll make sure something happens."

Cub nodded and collapsed in Wolf's arms.

"Damn," Wolf muttered.

Now he had to carry Cub back to the first aid hut and get help for this piece of trash over here.

He supposed the other man's injuries were more serious, but there was no way he was leaving a member of his team down for this piece of trash.

* * *

><p>The sergeant slammed his hand down on the phone and looked up. Fox had stealthily followed the man, Cub's father, all the way back to the sergeant's hut. Rather than directly attack the man by his lonesome, he decided to follow the man.<p>

"I'm Alan Blunt," the man said, sticking out his hand to the sergeant. "Where's my son?"

"We're in the middle of retrieving him right now," the sergeant said, smoothly. He eyeballed Fox, who signaled that he'd talk to the sergeant when he was done with Blunt. "I'm sorry you managed to injure yourself when you were here. What did you fall on? We really should get that looked at the first aid hut."

"I'm okay, really," Blunt responded as he straightened his tie.

"No, no! We really need to take care of our visitors. Don't worry, we have the best staff. Eagle!" he said, seeing the man. "Fox, take your hero to the hut to get him some help." The resounding look in the sergeant's eyes said, _keep him there_. "Eagle, you and I need to have a talking-too, now!"

"Eagle," Blunt said as he turned around and faced the man. "You were just with my son. Where the hell is my son?"

"Wolf is with him now," Eagle said, the look on his face for once perfectly respectable and solemn. "Sergeant, I have a question for you. What's your policy on child abuse?"

"If any one of my soldiers abuses a child," the man responded gruffly, his arm bristling as if he knew what the man was going to say, "I automatically disqualify them from the SAS. And I think anyone who abuses their child ought to be shot. Cub tell you anything, Eagle?"

"Oh, yes," Eagle said with a nod, "Cub told me a lot of things. But it's more what I saw that was the issue."

"You saw nothing!" Blunt responded angrily as he grabbed Eagle and shoved him against the brick wall. "I would never hit Alex! I love Alex! He's my only child! You have to understand that!"

"Listen here, buster," the sergeant responded, stepping in between him and Eagle, "No-one hurts a member of my team. I don't care if you're the head of some agency. I'll say it once and I'll repeat as many times as necessary: _You are going down_."

"I could have you charged with child neglect!" Blunt said as he stepped backwards from the sergeant. "You let Alex be endangered. You don't know where he is!"

"I don't, do I?" the sergeant said with a mean smirk as he jerked his thumb towards Wolf, who was carrying Cub. He walked over to the teenager, taking the limp boy out of Wolf's arms. "What's the situation, Wolf?"

The sergeant couldn't help but think this was exactly why the SAS never used name and rank while on duty.

"Python, I got to the tent we use to store excess supplies. Eagle and Cub were being held captive in there. I told Eagle to run for help, which he did. Some idiot tried to shoot me, so he's lying there bleeding…"

"That's my caretaker of my son!" Now it was Blunt's turn to lunge towards Wolf. "How dare you hurt him!"

"He tried to shoot me, you son-of-a-bit-"

"Ladies!" The sergeant said, stepping in between Blunt and another one of his soldiers. "Need I remind you what I said before when you attacked Eagle?"

"He attacked Eagle?" Wolf said with a glare, staring angrily at the man.

Blunt visibly swallowed, and everyone could tell the man was nervous.

"Well, I hope you know you're going down," Wolf responded as he rested his hand on Eagle's shoulder. He could see how nervous his comrade was and knew that this had to be bringing up some painful memories. Wolf silently prayed that they could get the help for Cub that they had not been able to get for Eagle.

Then, in a quiet, but forced voice, Wolf responded, "We protect our own. And Cub is one of our own."

"Speaking of our own," Fox added, "We'd better get him to the first aid tent – and that other SOB if we want any hope of not being sued for a medical emergency."

It was then when Cub started to wake up.

* * *

><p>So, there's still the ongoing battle of "who should get custody of Cub?"<p>

The next challenge: What will happen to Alan Blunt? (What do you think would realistically happen to him, and what do you personally want to happen to him? I may try and work a few ideas in... *cough*.) [Does not violate TOS, all will be reviewed by my cat-dog Fluffy]

What's going to happen to Cub when he wakes up?

What does Fox now think of his "hero?"

And here's one just for you to vote on: How many chapters should this be? :-)

* * *

><p>Pick as many as you'd like to respond to, or none at all. Please continue to review. As of 79/11, we have achieved 11.5 reviews per chapter! Also, I've noticed that over 500 people have read this today, and I must say I am extremely overwhelmed! If you read this far, please, please, please review! I don't care how long or short it is. I love getting any feedback at all, and it motivates me to update faster.

Anyway, signing off!

I do have both tomorrow and Monday off so expect an update one of those two days. Reviews could push me to update either day, of course the more reviews the faster I'm likely to update. XD

THANK YOU FOR READING!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I am giving you this as a gift really early, because we have reached an awesome 12 people reviewing per chapter!

Please R&R!

Challenge at the bottom. Thanks to Jayden95 for beta.

* * *

><p>"Alex!" Blunt's voice, suddenly fatherly, turned towards Alex. The man's green shirt was soaked in sweat. Fox's face was furious; Alex felt bad, in a way. He knew Fox had once hero-worshiped the MI6 head. Now, his hero was marred.<p>

Alex couldn't help but feel grateful that someone believed his story. That is, until the next words came out of his so-called father's mouth. "I've been so worried about you! They couldn't find you, and then…" The look on his face was indeed worried. If Alex didn't know better himself, he would have thought that his father really cared about him.

There had to be a first time for everything, right? Still, Alex was not fooled. Blunt had pulled this routine before on many different teachers. He'd send one of his men to "retrieve" Alex, and go and pick him up from the school. Then when Blunt got to the school, Alex would be missing. He would use his "calming father" routine to find Alex, and eventually Alex would be found. It was all apart of the plot to get teachers to stop questioning him.

But this time he'd made a fatal mistake. Or rather, Barkley had. When he'd kidnapped Alex, he'd also kidnapped a highly trained SAS solider. And if there was one thing Alex had learned about the SAS during there time here, he'd learned that the SAS did not take their duties lightly, and they refused to be bribed.

"Go to hell, _father_." Alex's words were nothing venomous. "I've already told Eagle anything. You may as well take off now."

"I told you not to tell anyone our secret!" Blunt responded angrily as he stalked towards Alex. Alex wrenched himself out of Wolf's arms and glared at him.

"Well too bad for you," Alex responded. "You also told me never to listen to strangers, and you're stranger than any person I know." He stalked off towards K-Unit's hut. Eagle moved off to follow him.

"You," Fox responded, turning to Alan Blunt, "Are a filthy, low-life piece of trash. The only regret I have in this life is ever having respect for you. I hope they arrest you, you piece of shit."

"You respected me once?" Blunt responded, grabbing onto Fox's arm.

Fox shook it off. "In your dreams, Blunt. Go to hell."

"Did you hear that?" Blunt demanded, glaring at the sergeant. "He just verbally assaulted me!"

"You just physically assaulted your son and one of my officers!" The sergeant responded. "You and I need to have a chat in my office before the local police officer gets here. Wolf, Fox, make sure his piece of trash co-worker is alive enough for transport. I won't stand for child abusers on my lot."

## transition ##

"Do you care about your son, Mr. Blunt?" the sergeant asked, sitting down in his office. He wasn't worried about Blunt getting arrested or at least revoked from his position. Blunt had hired someone who had physically and verbally abused his son. He'd assaulted one of his officers, and held one officer hostage.

There was no way the sergeant was going to let this SOB run free any longer, especially not in a position of law enforcement. But while he didn't care about what happened to Alan Blunt, he did care about what happened to his son. He saw a lot of promise in Alex Blunt and he didn't want it to go to waste.

"Of course I care about my son," Alan responded, accepting the glass of water the sergeant handed to him. The sergeant smiled, glad he'd watched all those old-time television shows. NCIS had a few things going for it, even if they were from America.

The sergeant sobered. Best not to let the units – especially Eagle – know about the television in his hut. Not after he'd heard about what happened to D-Unit's television. Although, if D-Unit really wanted to protect their electronics, they really shouldn't go around vandalizing Eagle's cabin.

"Then what do you what to happen to him once you get arrested?" the sergeant responded.

"You can't arrest me!" Blunt responded, furious. "I've done nothing wrong."

"You've done nothing wrong." The sergeant was using the voice he normally reserved for when one of his cadets really screwed up, which wasn't often. He didn't even reserve this voice for Eagle's stunts. Truth be told, not that he'd ever admit it, he liked Eagle's stunts. They gave him something to write his wife about when she was away.

"Let me begin to explain what you've done wrong." The sergeant's voice was cold and calculating, yet it was as plain as if he had been explaining basic English to a toddler. "Firstly, you've assaulted one of my men. Secondly, you held another one of my men hostage. Then your co-worker in crime took a shot at another one of my men." The communication radio that Wolf had shoved at Fox when he'd said "go get help" had actually been on, and the sergeant had heard everything. "Fourthly, you've abused your son, quite possibly since birth."

"I never laid a hand on the boy!"

"Don't patronize me, Mr. Blunt." The sergeant was deadly cold now. "I don't give a rat's rear end about what will happen to you. I am worried about your boy. What are your wishes for his care?"

"I'm going to be caring for him, of course." Alan's smile was frosty cold.

"I think not. One of my men or I will care for him." The sergeant checked his watch. "Help will be arriving shortly, and they'll arrest you, and then you'll have no say in your son's care. Let me ask you again: _Who do you want him to be cared for by_?"

"I never wanted that child," the man said. He wasn't aware that Wolf and Alex had returned from the first aid hut and Alex listened. "I never wanted him! You decide, if you're suddenly going to be so caring."

"Fine," the sergeant responded. His voice became as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "Then I will take custody of him, since I seem to care more about him than you do. Always wanted a kid." He pressed the paper forward. "Write something up."

He glanced up to see Wolf and Alex standing in the doorway. "Wolf, I need to speak with Alex for a few minutes. Do you mind keeping your eye on our guest?"

## transition ##

"I don't want to go with him," Alex responded as he walked out with the sergeant to his hut. "If you make me go with him, I'll shanghi to Spain. Or to America. Or somewhere else," he added defiantly.

"Listen to me, Cub."

The use of his codename stopped Alex dead in his tracks .

"I'm not going to let you go with your father. I don't condone any type of child abuse, whether it's neglect or outright abuse. But I need you to do something for me first. Can you show me the scars Eagle saw?"

Swallowing hard, Alex Blunt did something that he had said he would never do: he lifted up his shirt and revealed his horrible, ugly, back.

The sergeant placed his hand on Alex's shoulder as Alex lifted his shirt down. "Thank you," he said. "I know that was difficult for you. And you won't be going back with Alan Blunt if there's a bone in my body – or one of my recruit's body – left that is still breathing."

"But what's going to happen?" Alex asked nervously.

"You are going to stay with me, and my wife, Jack. She's flying back in from the states next week from visiting her friends in Holiday in America. You'll be staying with us – not as a guest, but as a permanent member of our family."

Alex remained silent, waiting for the sergeant to continue.

"Jack is Fox's brother," the sergeant responded. "She changed her name to Starbright so as to forget her past. Imagine my surprise when Jack showed up as my wife and Fox discovered his sister was married to his boss."

Alex remained silent, although he could picture the look on Fox's face. He was just waiting to hear the words "this is a joke, and you're really going back."

"At any rate," the sergeant said, "I don't think that foster care is the best place for you, and although I think one of your unit members would give up their position to care for you, I don't want them to have to make that decision. But," the sergeant added, "Only if that's okay with you."

Alex opened up his mouth to respond. _Was it okay with him? Did he want a total lifestyle change? Was the sergeant joking? _

Worse… what if he was about to wake up and discover it all was a dream?

* * *

><p>Challenge: Will the sergeant take custody of Alex?<p>

Will he wake up and discover it's all a dream?

What will happen to Blunt?

Make up your own challenge!

Please R&R. When you're done here, don't forget to vote on who should be the next victim in my Alex Rider next story via my profile page!

Hope you enjoyed your gift!

Next chapter will be longer.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks to the lovely Jayden95 for the beta. Will probably not update again until Wednesday; I leave for NY Tuesday night. (See bottom for more details on that). Challenge is at bottom too. Thanks to all who have taken the time to review this far – you're my heroes. I had a special request to put this up early, so I decided to leave you all with a present. Hopefully no-one complains! XD

* * *

><p>"Yes," Alex said, finally. He was unnerved. Someone <em>wanted<em> to be his parent or guardian? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Both his mother – the infamous Mrs. Jones-Blunt (she could never bring herself to accept Blunt's last name), and his father, the famous Alan Blunt never wanted him.

So why should he expect anyone else to want him? Obviously no one else had in the past. Alex sighed as he thought about what one teacher had said: _don't judge someone until you've waked a mile in their shoes. Then, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes_. His point was more that you should give someone a chance before you judge them.

Why the sergeant wanted Alex didn't make sense to him, but he'd take it. Because, in as much as he knew that his father could come back for him and probably would, and even this was all a dream, he wanted a shot at love.

At a family.

And hell, anyone would make a better father than Alan Blunt right now. Really, that was what it boiled down too. If his father had loved him once in the past, it had been gone; now it had been replaced by someone on the conquest for money and… whatever else he did in his spare time that Alex really didn't want to know about. Although if it had anything to do with those internet sites in his bedroom… Alex shook his head to clear his thoughts.

He'd listened to his mate, Tom Harris, once talk about friends and family. He had a father who loved him. His mother loved him, too. His parents "just didn't love each other", apparently. Personally, Alex didn't get the whole scenario and Tom told him not to worry about it. He'd later learned that Harris' parents were in the middle of a divorce.

But to have a family who loved him? A fairy tale dream that he'd once had, deep down, when he was younger. He'd read a book, once, where the main dude loved his father. He'd seen good fathers on television shows. He knew they existed. Despite his gruff cover, Alex suspected – and hoped – that the sergeant would be a good father.

"So," Fox said, strolling up to the two and extending his arm, "Welcome to the family."

"Family?" Alex asked, staring at Fox blankly.

"Yes," Fox responded, "I'm your uncle. Jack Starbright – formerly Jack Daniels – is your mother."

"Isn't Jack a boy's name?" Alex asked as he scratched his head. Then he turned to the sergeant. "Wait, you're married?"

Fox snickered at the look that crossed the sergeant's face. "Yup, been married ten years. Always wanted two kids, now we got two kids."

"Oh, how is Mikey doing by the way?" Fox said with a grin. "I can't wait to see him again."

"Mikey?" Alex asked, confused.

"Your little brother," Fox responded. At Alex's annoyed look, he said, "Don't worry, he's easier to get along with than Eagle."

"Hey, I heard that!" Eagle said as he called from his position by the helicopter. Fox moved closer, protectively standing almost in front of Alex as Blunt walked by. "I'm really not all that bad when I haven't had caffeine."

"I'll get you!" Alan Blunt responded. He broke away from Wolf's arm. Wolf remained passive, his hand on his gun, ready to leap and tackle Alan Blunt if necessary to save Alex. It really was a shame that the SAS had to handle Blunt with kid gloves – Wolf would have loved to have beaten him up. But he couldn't risk the case not going to trial because of an "accidental" beating or because he was restrained the wrong way.

Help had come in the form of a helicopter, ready to take Blunt's co-worker and Blunt to the nearest medical facility and Blunt to his new prison cell. "I never wanted you, Alex! Just wanted to let you know that!"

The sergeant glanced at Alex, taking in the full look on his face. Although he doubted that Alex really cared for his father, he knew how words could hurt. He stalked over to the man, his anger growing. "Let me tell you something, Alan Blunt," he said, his voice an eerie calm. "Your son is a fine, capable young man, and much better at working out life skills than you. You may have been the head of MI6, but he'll go further than you will in life, because you'll be sitting in a nice, cold, prison cell."

"I haven't been convicted yet," Blunt responded. He glanced at Alex, and then at Eagle, who stood protectively behind the teenager, a gentle hand placed on the boy's shoulder. Eagle knew exactly what Alex was going through. "And I'll get your custody again, somehow, Alex. You can count on that. We'll have our _fun_, just like I promised."

When Alan Blunt finished his sentence, Alex took off, running for the deep forest bushes. Whether the sergeant wanted him or not, he had to get out of there. He was going to be physically sick.

"Rot in hell, Alan Blunt," Eagle responded as he flashed his middle finger at the man before he chased after Alex.

## break ##

Alex ran blindly through the woods, not really looking where he was going. Branches cut him and made scraping marks on his arms, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He felt miserable. His last link to his family had just died. Even though the sergeant had claimed him as his own, would the process really go through? After all, custody was usually given to a family member, and technically, John Rider, Ian Rider, and Helen Rider were all family members.

Of course, his aunt and uncle – John and Helen Rider – were killed in a car crash years ago, and last he'd heard, Ian had been resting in the America state prison. Alex still wasn't sure how that happened, and when the news of Ian's arrest came about, had figured out that he really didn't want to know anyway.

The thought of losing the only life he'd ever known spurred him on through the forest until he toppled down, tripping over a large branch that had previously been invisible. Alex moaned loudly in pain as he fell, his knee twisting. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn he'd heard it pop.

Great. Here he was, stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a broken leg to boot. How long would it take him to cover the distance he'd flown through with a broken leg? Hours, probably. He moaned softly, and then blinked twice when he saw Eagle lying over him.

"Hey, mate," Eagle responded. He opened his canteen, and held it towards Alex. "I think your body'll want some of this water."

"Thanks," Alex said, taking a needed drink of the water. He swallowed and then hesitated, knowing he'd need more but not wanting to drink to fast. He sighed as he took another sip. "Let me guess, the sergeant wants me to go back with Blunt, right?"

Eagle sighed. He had to get through to Alex some way, but how? There could be only one way: personal experience. Maybe he could use his overly abusive childhood for a reason. "Listen to me, Cub," he said. "You remember how I told you I was abused?"

"I don't think I'd forget something like that in such a small time frame," Alex grumbled. He tried to shift his leg and decided it would be better if he didn't move it. It still hurt.

"Anyway," Eagle responded, ignoring Cub's attempt to make him angry, "I didn't tell anyone in the SAS when I first signed up that I was abused. I mean, who wants to tell someone that? It's not like you can just walk up to your comrade and say, 'Hey, Wolf, you know that scar I got on my back that you saw when I was changing in the bathroom? Yeah, my father did that.' You can't just say that; socially, anyway."

Alex nodded. He understood completely. Sure, he'd been told abuse was wrong before; but the teachers who had told him abuse was wrong had just as often abused him.

"When we had the RTI training exercise right before you came here, I'll admit that I was freaked out. For whatever reason, our group didn't do RTI training the first time through. I knew how to survive torture – hell, my childhood was torture – but I had nightmares for a solid week straight afterward. Eventually, Snake cornered me and made me tell what was really bothering me."

At Eagle's pause, Alex sighed. "He's good at that," was all he could say.

"Yeah, Snake always seems to know when you're lying to hide your true feelings. Anyhoo, he said that I should talk to the rest of the unit and the sergeant. The sergeant was really understanding. I don't think you'll have a problem with him giving you up. Before he took on his job at the SAS, he and Jack fostered kids. That's why he can take you in so readily now."

"Really?" this perked Alex's interest. The sergeant had taken care of foster kids before?

"Yup." Eagle sighed, pausing as if this topic was difficult for him. Alex completely understood – it was difficult for him, too, and Eagle was rehashing some great blackmail material, not that Alex would ever use the information in that way. "Listen, Cub, if you truly want help, then talk to the sergeant. He'll make sure you get it. Besides," Eagle added, "Your father – Blunt – couldn't take custody of now even if he wanted to."

"Why not?" Alex challenged, feeling defensive and feeling a driving need to know the answer.

"Because," Eagle responded, "He signed away his parental rights. Want to see what he wrote in the office? I made a copy." Eagle showed Alex the note.

_I, Alan Blunt, give custody of Alex Blunt over to the sergeant. I refuse to be responsible for Alex's actions any longer_.

"Besides, in prison you can't raise a kid."

"Wait," Alex said. Somehow he'd missed the fact that his father was about to be tried for his crimes. "Did you say prison?"

"Yup," Eagle said with a happy grin. "Now, let's go talk to the sergeant. We'll need to know if you're bunking with us, or with him."

Alex nodded, feeling at peace for the first time since his mother died. There was just one more thing that he wanted to do… "Eagle," he said, pausing finally, "Do you think that the sergeant would let me go see my mother's grave?"

* * *

><p>AN: So we know who gets custody of Alex! And now for the challenge:

Will the sergeant let Alex see his mother's grave? If so, who will take him?

Will Alan Blunt resign himself to a prison sentence, or will he try to get back at Alex?

When will Jack Starbright come into the picture? And what about Ian Rider, Helen Rider, and John Rider? They will be in this story… but where?

Pick a challenge, or respond to all three if you'd like. I will probably not update again until Wednesday morning as I'm leaving for New York tomorrow. Don't worry, ch 14 and ch 15 are written. Thanks to all who have read and responded so far: we are over 1.5k views and we are at 12 reviews per chapter! I love you all.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and thanks to Jayden95 to the beta. All remaining mistakes are mine. I still don't own them. (Listen, I still haven't read _Crocidile Tears and Scorpia Rising _yet- so how can I have written the series?) XD

Challenge at the bottom. Hope you don't hate the cliffhanger too much... Anyway, in answer to a previous question, Mikey is the sergeant's son-Alex's new (younger) brother. He'll be showing up in the next few chapters.

Hope you all R&R and enjoy! Thanks to all who review. I will probably not be able to respond to them until I get back from NY but please take the time to review now! I do have one more chapter written... So in your review, please let me know when you'd like me to post it, and the date/time that gets the most votes wins!

* * *

><p>Wolf sighed as he hung over his bunk. Surprisingly, the K-Unit's cabin was one of the few areas on camp that actually got cell service, and tonight Wolf planned on taking full advantage of it. He punched in a familiar number that he knew all to well, and then he waited for it to ring.<p>

_Ring…_

_Ring…_

_Ring…_

Once the phone picked up, Wolf heard his mother's voice answer. "Christine speaking," she said quietly.

"Mom?" Wolf said, grateful for a break early so that he could talk with his mother. While him calling her wasn't uncommon (she did need to know he was alive, after all), he found it difficult to call at other times, and as such was grateful for the chance to talk to his mother now.

The camp had gotten a break from today's activities because of the ruckus Alan Blunt had caused. Fox was using it to sleep, and Snake was perched outside reading a medical textbook he'd managed to bribe the first aid teacher into giving him. Eagle and Cub were somewhere else on another mission, something Eagle had talked to the sergeant about and gotten his approval for.

Wolf respected Cub more now. The kid had been through some serious hell, and was still ready to fight back. That didn't mean, however, that he wanted the kid following him around like a damn personal shadow. Whatever the reason that Cub had picked to follow Eagle around instead of him, Wolf was grateful for it. And deep down, Wolf knew it was because the two could get along well together, and they had one very major thing in common. They had both been abused, and they _both _refused to be victims of the people who had abused them.

That and they both seemed to enjoy annoying the shit out of him.

"James!" his mother said. "James, it's so good of you to call early! What's up? Are you being shipped out early?"

"No, mom," Wolf reassured her, "we still have four weeks left of our refresher training. But I wanted to call and see how things were going and – to say thanks."

"To say thank you?" his mother asked, and Wolf could picture her scratching her head.

"Yeah, Mom. I know I was a brat as a kid, but you always did me right, and let's just say we had a little… situation here at camp that made me think about just how much I appreciate you."

The silence on the phone was there only for a moment, before he heard his mother struggle to speak. "Well, then," she responded, "You're very welcome. Now, I'm guessing you're calling to tell me about this situation that you're not supposed to tell anyone else, so spill."

And Wolf did.

## transition ##

Getting permission to visit Alex's mother's grave had been easy, especially when the sergeant had found out that Alex hadn't been able to attend his mother's funeral. The sergeant had confided – to Eagle's own ears – that he wished that Alan Blunt hadn't yet left, because right now he would have loved to kill him. _"How do you not allow someone to see their mother's funeral?" the sergeant had demanded angrily._

"So, this is where she was buried." It wasn't a question that Eagle was asking, but more of a matter-of-fact statement. Finding the grave had taken a little bit of detective work, because all Alex had known was the town of where she had been buried; Alan Blunt hadn't even told Alex where the graveyard was. Despite this fact, they'd been able to find the grave and there they were.

Cub nodded, sitting as he fingered the white envelope in his hand thoughtfully. "Yup," he replied. The white envelope had been given to Cub by the graveyard owner, who had also preformed Alex's mother's funeral. Apparently, the letter was to be given to Alex upon his mother's death. Alex sighed as he fidgeted, not wanting to open the letter.

"Are you going to read it?" Eagle asked, watching as Cub fingered the envelope.

"I don't know." Alex's voice became cold and detached, and Eagle sighed. It seemed that Cub, like Eagle, had problems with his mother. _Although who could blame him? _Eagle thought. Alex continued after a minute, his voice in a slightly lighter tone. "But, maybe, yeah. She wanted me to know. But if I faint…"

"Don't worry," Eagle replied, attempting to be joking but also be reassuring, "all SAS members are trained in first aid and CPR, and my cell phone actually gets reception out here. See? Five bars," he added, shoving the cell phone under Alex's nose.

Alex laughed, and Eagle smiled upon hearing the noise. Gently, the teenage boy pried open the contents of the envelope.

_Alex, _

_If this letter has reached you, then I am dead. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but that's our last name and if you're opening this letter you probably know by now. Unless your loving father has managed to keep it a secret from you. There are many things you need to know in life, things that I'll never get the chance to tell you, things like the "bird and the bees" talk – although I think by now you've probably had that one in school. _

_In all seriousness, Alex, I really am sorry for how often I've ignored you. Lately I've been starting to regret it. I've noticed the bruises you have. Please, Alex, please tell someone where they're from. I only ignore them because I can't get help for you myself. I'd love to check into a shelter, but what shelter in their right mind would accept me, wife of the head of MI6?_

_So many times I wished I'd given you up. Not because I hated you, but because you would have a better life. I was personally relieved when you went off to boarding school, because it got you out of your father's wrath, but I know your experiences weren't particularly pleasant there._

_I hope that wherever you are now, you've found someone more caring than your father to care for you. Really, that man needs to be locked up. Not in a jail, in an insane asylum! Alex, please, whatever you do, don't get involved in the spying business; it changed your father. Don't let it change you._

_There's one very important thing that I need to tell you, Alex: I'm not actually your mother. I did have a baby, but he died from birth from complications. Helen Rider – your aunt who died a few years back – had a baby who lived. She signed you over to me. I don't know why I'm mentioning this, because we're both dead. I just think you need to know your true heritage (unlike your father, who doesn't even understand what the word "heritage" means – really, he should get a dictionary.) _

_I hope you get your shot at a happy childhood, Alex. Even though I never showed it, I always wanted the best for you. _

_Your Mother_

Alex sighed as he tossed the letter down into the dirt. "You aren't my mother!" he hissed, stamping his foot on the letter. He couldn't believe it – how dare she sign "mother" after revealing that Helen Rider was, indeed, his mother?

"Whoa, what's wrong, Cub?" Eagle asked.

Cub sank back down into the dirt and handed Eagle the letter. Eagle skimmed it silently, his eyes finally resting on the thing he thought bothered Alex: "Helen Rider is your mother."

"I knew it," Alex said finally. "I always knew – somehow – she really wasn't my mother. It doesn't matter though." Alex sighed as he sank even further into the dirt.

Eagle remained silent, waiting for Alex to speak.

"It doesn't matter, now, though," Alex said. He picked up the letter. "Got a lighter?"

"'Course," Eagle responded, "we can sneak them past the sergeant and they're useful for lighting firewood. Why do you think I hide them so well? Anyway, why?"

"Because this letter makes absolutely no difference to my life. I'm glad she cared for me, but I have a new family now – and I refuse to let my previous life destroy me."

Eagle handed Alex the lighter, and the boy used it to set the letter ablaze.

Alex Blunt's old life had gone up in flames, and his new life had begun.

## break ##

Somewhere, in a British jail cell…:

"Your chances of getting out don't look very good, especially since you've got so many witnesses against you. Why were you so stupid? You're the head of MI6! You're going to be lucky you're even getting a trial," Alan Blunt's lawyer angrily said. "You need to make something happen to ensure that we have a shot in the dark of success."

Alan fingered his prison I.D. thoughtfully. "How do you feel about killing?"

"I'm not opposed to it, as long as it's the death sentence," the man responded.

Blunt rolled his eyes. "Why do I pay you? Killing _is _a death sentence."

"You know full well what I mean," the man snapped.

"We have to do some clean-up work. I'll tell you who I need 'misplaced' until the trial, and when we win, you'll get your biggest bonus yet."

"I do so like your bonuses, Mr. Blunt. By the way, we really need to be careful about making sure no-one investigates the death of your wife. That wouldn't look very good in the trial either."

Alan nodded grimly. "I completely agree. At any rate – I believe we must plan a course of action – one against Alex and that feathered code named friend of his, Eagle. Without them, the entire case would fall…" Truth be told, he hated his child. He couldn't stand the fact that the kid got to walk around free and that _he_, Alan Blunt, head of MI6, was convicted. He'd always loathed Alex, simply because the boy existed. Although he never admitted it, he loved his wife and felt like Alex had taken his attention away from her. That, and he loathed children in general.

And, hell, it was fun to see how much torture Alex could withstand before collapsing... Blunt offered a devious smile as he thought about the recent events. His personal favorite memory of Alex was locking him into a closet for three days and only giving him water. The boy had been much more cooperative after that.

"What do you have in mind?" the lawyer asked.

"I don't know yet," Alan responded, "But as they say, when there's a will, there's a way, right?"

And so their discussion as to how to best kill, kidnap, threaten, or torture Eagle and Alex into silence had begun. _Soon, Alex..._ Alan Blunt thought,_ soon... _

-break-

A/N: Your challenge: How soon is soon? How soon will Alan Blunt be able to get out and kidnap Alex? Or _will_ he be able to get out and kidnap Alex and/or Eagle? If he does, how long will he be able to hold them hostage, and how much will he hurt them?

When will Ian Rider show up?

Will Alan Blunt be able to escape?

Please R&R! It always motivates me to update. Let me know what you thought, and if you have spare time respond to the challenges! Also, don't forget to vote for when the next chapter should be updated! Hit that button!


	15. Chapter 15

Two Weeks Later

It had been a long and challenging two weeks. Alan Blunt had pled guilty and been sentenced to life in prison. Apparently he had been selling information to other countries and using his MI6 position to gain this information. He was going to be locked away for a long, long time.

Alex had been doing better physically. The wounds on his body were healing. The sergeant decided that the base they were at was far enough away from a school that having Alex Rider go to public school just wouldn't work, so he decided that it would be better for Alex to be homeschooled.

Jack, the sergeant's wife, and Mikey, the sergeant's son, had arrived on campus. Although the sergeant had written his wife about his suspicions about Alex, he hadn't been able to write her before her return about the fact that he'd been awarded custody of Alex. Jack was proud that her husband had, quote, "made the right decision to help Alex out." And then they'd kissed.

Mikey was an adorable ten-year-old probably going to be rugby player. He was strong, even for a ten year old. Much like Alex had adopted Eagle as his personal shadow, Mikey had adopted Alex as his personal shadow. Wolf had called Alex "Cub" once in front of Mikey, and Mikey had stubbornly insisted on calling Alex that every time. Everything was going fairly well…

… until they got the news that Blunt had attempted to escape.

Although Blunt's attempt wasn't successful, it definitely put Alex on high alert. Unfortunately, the sergeant hadn't had a chance to talk to Alex about the situation privately, and he'd heard it on the television that the sergeant had in his hut. Alex's soda had splashed to the floor and he'd taken off out the door, not even hearing that the attempt wasn't successful.

Which was why Wolf was here, tracking him down, again. The sergeant didn't want to send out everyone yet. It would disrupt them from their activities, and he didn't want any negative attention sent out towards Alex because the units teased him about the situation. So those who knew the situation best – that is, K-unit – got selected to go look for him.

Kid, why do you keep taking off? Wolf thought, breathing a sigh of frustration. The truth was he knew entirely why Alex kept taking off. It was because he was scared. And, if he was anything like Wolf, hedidn't want to admit out loud that he was scared. That, and because he was probably afraid that the sergeant was going to give him up, even though Wolf – and everyone else except for Alex, it seemed – knew that the sergeant wasn't going to give him up.

Wolf sighed as he saw the teenager sitting in the clearing of the forest. Despite the fact that it was mid-July, it was only sixty degrees out and cold. Alex was wearing a blue sweatshirt, and he sat on the grass under the tree.  
>How should I approach him? Wolf thought. He sighed, deciding it would be best to draw a page from Eagle's strategy book when dealing with Cub. He went over and sat down next to Cub, not saying anything.<p>

"Is it true then?" Alex asked after Wolf had only sat down for a few seconds.

"Is what true?" Wolf asked evenly. He hadn't had time to see the newscast, he'd only heard from the sergeant what the sergeant thought the problem was.

"Did my… did he… is he escaping?"

So that was the problem – Alex was insecure. Even though he was beginning to trust the sergeant, Alex was still terrified that the sergeant would give him up or that Alan Blunt would come after him. Wolf couldn't say he blamed him. He knew that Eagle had been very upset about the whole scenario, and he was a trained SAS member.

"No, Alex. They caught him and put him back where he belonged – in prison."

"Do you really think he belongs there?" Alex asked, turning to glance at Wolf.  
>Wolf was silent for a minute before he continued, taking the time to properly word his thoughts. "Yes, Alex, I do. He betrayed his country by sending in information to other countries that could be damning to us. I mean, hell, we're fighting to protect the country and his ass was trying to destroy it. He abused you for what – how many years of your life? – and he helped to hold both you and Eagle hostage, and he hired someone who abused you. Yes, he should go to prison."<p>

Alex nodded, content with Wolf's statement. "But… what if he escapes? I mean, what if he gets out? Will the sergeant… I mean, will Tyler..."

One good thing out of all this, Wolf thought to himself, he'd learned the sergeant's first name. "Will Tyler what?" he asked. From what he'd understood (and Eagle certainly knew more) the sergeant thought that it would be a long time before Alex would be able to address him as 'dad,' so he'd actually given out his name and told Alex just to call him Tyler.

"Will Tyler give me up?" Alex asked softly.

So Wolf had been right about the underlying cause of the issue. If it wouldn't have been obvious, he'd have patted himself on the back. But the issue was serious. Wolf would have to somehow talk to the sergeant and let him know what Alex was worried about. It'd sure be an awkward conversation to have, but if it would keep Alex from running off again in the future… "No, Alex. The sergeant loves you too much to give you up." It was true – Wolf had seen it this morning when the sergeant had told K-Unit about Alex's disappearance. "Have you ever tried to take something away from the sergeant that he likes?"

Alex shook his head.

"Because, Alex, let's face it. He cares about you. He's not going to give you up to a fight. Plus," Wolf said, lowering his voice just a little bit, "There's no way in hell he's going to give you back to Alan Blunt if there's a bone left in his body. He cares about you way too damn much."

Alex just nodded. "I guess. I just need to learn how to trust someone then, huh?" he asked.  
>"Hey," Wolf responded, "Trusting doesn't come easy, but you're trusting the right man in this case." Wolf checked his watch. "Come on. Dinner's about to start."<p>

"I don't know, Wolf. Are you sure you call that grub you eat in the mess hall food?" Alex asked, pushing himself up off the dirt with a smile.

"Ha, ha," Wolf retorted as he ruffled Alex's hair. "I think the sergeant has been spoiling you a bit too much."

"Me? Spoiled? Never," Alex responded even as he ducked out of the way of Wolf's swing. "By the way, what is your real name?"

Wolf just grinned back at him. "Classified."

"You know," Alex said thoughtfully, "I'll make that my mission to find it out before I leave."  
>"Good luck, Kid."<p>

## break ##

Barkley stood next to Alan Blunt in the exercise room. They had been left unattended for a brief minute. With a few strings that Alan Blunt's lawyer had pulled, he'd been able to get in the same prison as Barkley, Alex's former caretaker. They could work on getting out together and getting revenge on Alex. Ian was furious that his cousin had ratted on someone he cared about, and had spent a lot of time talking about how he was going to make him pay for that.

Blunt waited and then signaled Ian as soon as the room attendant came back in the room. Two punches later, the attendant was out cold. Truthfully, there never should have been only one person watching the two of them – they were both high risk prisoners. After all, Barkley had managed to embezzle funds from the same bank that the white house used, on top of various other thefts and crimes, as well as abusing Alex.

It didn't take long for Barkley to hack into the computer system and implant the high-tech virus he'd been working on. The computer scramble would give enough trouble to the guards to give them the time to break free.

"Let's go," Alan Blunt said to Barkley as he made his way out the door. Ian followed, and the two of them were able to escape out a side door into the bright sunlight.

"Alex Blunt," Alan said feverishly, "here I come."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I would like to take the time to thank Torn Apart Dinosaur for her part in the story. I've edited it some, but the first section is largely her work. Thanks to Nightmare world for suggesting the code name of the SAS member. (See, Liz, now you know what the name is for!)**

* * *

><p>The dark storm clouds were rolling in toward the quiet neighborhood. The time was unknown, but undoubtedly late, as no kids were running around outside. Playing various games all night long, getting the most out of the summer<strong>'<strong>s cool nights.

A few street lamps up above were out, in a row. But with the clouds not yet at the moon, you could identify brief glimpses of a shadow, before it went back into the darkness. The shadow stood tall, stretching far over a single driveway.

The owner of the shadow was hidden in a hat and jacket, as if they were prepared for a random storm about to come. The said person stood about 5' 6"and had a slight musclcularbuild. Broad shoulders and bulging muscles identified the unknown person to most likely be a man.

Ian Rider was now on _his_ mission from Alan Blunt: to kidnap, kill, or destroy Alex Rider.

The mysterious man walked up the driveway. And a few seconds later was at the door of the two story home that had been home to Alan Blunt. The person just stood there staring at the door. They did not look uncomfortable at all. If a person nearby had passed, they would have simply thought that they were maybe embarrassed as they might have forgotten their key.

Ian walked around the house, looking for anything that would let him into the house to accomplish his mission. Heading straight for the back door, he glanced briefly over his shoulder, and in one swift movement he kicked the knob with enough force to snap it off the door.

And the doorknob did just that, with a crack of his foot connecting, the doorknob fell to the ground with a clank. The door now opened an inch or so. He set his foot down on the golden knob, and glided it into the bushes where it would be hidden. He then stood up straight and walked in the house as if it were his own.

The back door leads to a small mud room. He walked though it and came to the arch way. He took a swift left turn and continued walking, the sound of tile beneath his feet.

He was now in what looked to be a kitchen. The island with a granite counter top stood out in the open. The stainless steel appliances and the china up above, proved that this house belonged to someone of power. The man didn't even seem to notice. He drew out a particular small but very sharp knife.

He turned around and walked over to the fridge; it almost being as shiny as the knife in his hand. The smooth steel looked brand new, not a dent in sight.

The other hand fumbled in his jacket pocket before he found what he wanted. Out of his jacket pocket he withdrew a small piece of paper that was folded up. Ian didn't even bother opening it as he stuck it against the middle of the block

And he brought up the knife and stabbed the middle of the note. Going in the fridge far enough to dent it, but not puncture it, though it held up the note quite nicely.

"If you call yourself a Rider, you have another think coming," he smirked as he thought of Blunt's words that he'd spoken about Alex Rider.

Yes, it was time to make Alex Rider pay for his crimes…

* * *

><p>Alex and Eagle were currently on their way to Alan Blunt's house. After the sergeant had finally gained full custody of Alex Rider, Alex had asked if he could go to his house and collect some of his belongings. The sergeant agreed, and since he was needed at base, had given both of them a week to go and complete their mission.<p>

Tyler was, admittedly, worried about it with Alan Blunt on the loose, but the man didn't think that he would be so stupid as to go back to his house, but had agreed to go only if Eagle would check in with him every day. Eagle had agreed on the extent that he would stop being made to clean the latrines. The sergeant had agreed.

That was why Alex and Eagle were here, sitting in front of the house. Its dark, foreboding shadows didn't make the home look welcome. Eagle glanced at Alex. He would have been nervous if he hadn't remembered the gun clipped to his waist, another condition of the trip.

The two of them climbed out of the car. Eagle had to admit that the house looked scarier without the car "protecting" them from it. "You sure you want to go in?"

"No," Alex muttered, glancing darkly at the ground. _It was a stupid idea to come here, _he thought, _I can't believe that I was stupid enough to think of it._

"It wasn't a stupid idea, Alex," Eagle said, snapping Alex out of his thoughts. "You'll be able to get what you need, and say good-bye to your old life." He paused as he glanced thoughtfully at the hotel. "But what say we check into a hotel first?"

Alex nodded. It would give him a chance to emotionally regroup before he faced the house that had nearly killed him. Although, admittedly, the house hadn't nearly killed him – his so-called father had. "Sounds like a good idea to me," he responded.

"That's a very good idea," a voice behind them said. Suddenly, Alex clutched at his neck, grabbing behind him. Alex clutched his neck as he felt someone grab him from behind. He tried to move, but found a hand wrapped around his waist. "Why not invite me in?"

It was Ian Rider.

Alex would recognize the man's voice anywhere. His blood froze. His uncle had formerly been in prison for three counts of rape and one count of child abuse. Alex swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "N-No m-monsters allowed," he stuttered.

"Well, well, well," the man responded. He touched Alex's cheek, making the boy's skin crawl. "Looks like I get to have my fun early, _nephew_." He held the knife he'd acquired from the house at Alex's neck before moving it to where it couldn't be seen by passerbys. Not that there were any at the desolate hour.

"And I get an added bonus as well." He glanced at the man. It was a good thing for Eagle that Ian hadn't recognized him, because Blunt had originally wanted to shoot Eagle upon sight. "Put your weapon on the ground if you want the boy to live," Ian said.

Eagle swallowed hard, but did as the man said. The man shifted and grabbed the pistol. Now he had two weapons. "We're going to get in the car very slowly," the man said. "I'm going to get in the backseat with Alex, and you're going to drive."

Slowly, they did as the man commanded. Eagle had as sinking feeling in his gut, as if he was signing their own death warrants.

He knew he had signed his the second he was forced to peel off, leaving their intended destination behind as well as their freedom.

* * *

><p><em>Two days later…<em>

The sergeant glanced at the team. Even without their comrade, Eagle, the SAS team made formidable opponents. The team was a complete with another member, Katakana, who had been paired off from another team. He'd always been friendly with Alex and had asked to come on this mission.

Mikey clung to the sergeant's knee. He could sense the tension in the air and was worried.

"Eagle has not contacted in, and neither has Alex," the sergeant responded. His voice was worried. "I wasn't worried last night, since they would have just gotten in. But it's been two days since I've heard from Eagle, and I'm worried. However irresponsible he may be, this is not him. I have contacted local ground troops there, namely the police, and they have informed me that unless I wanted to charge Eagle with kidnapping, there was nothing they could do until they had proof Alex was kidnapped – proof we may never get."

Wolf remained silent. He was beyond angry – he was furious. He felt like he'd let one of his comrades be injured, even though it hadn't been in any way, shape, or form his fault.

"That's why I'm sending you into this territory. It may be a dangerous mission. The police may be bribed. I don't know what to expect. But I will do anything," the sergeant responded, "to get my son home again." He leveled eyes with Wolf. "Don't fail me," he added.

Wolf swallowed hard. He had the sinking feeling this would be the toughest mission he'd ever had. "Yes, sir," he responded.

It was then when Jack ran screaming through the campground, waving the mail rapidly. Wolf glanced at Snake.

It looked like they may have just found their proof.

* * *

><p>Challenge: Since you all like these:<p>

1. What is the "proof" that Jack got?

2. Is the new SAS member good or bad? (I'll let the general vote decide this one, so vote wisely. Does not violate TOS as my cat will help read the votes).

3. What happened to Eagle and Alex? Are they still alive?

I've done my part, now you do yours; read and review!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I hope that you liked, I apologize for the delay. While I won't stop writing, updates will be sporadic because I am working 28 and 1/2 hours for internship in addition to college classes. But I will try and get the material out to you.

Thanks for the overwhelming reviews - let's make it to 300! :-)

### break ##

Alex was not usually one that wanted to mess around and take time with things. Normally, Alex wanted to move as quickly and as easily as possible; he wanted an easy fix to the problem. Right now, however, he did _not _want an easy solution to the problem, because he knew what that would be: death. He swallowed hard, not willing to give in and whine about his situation.

Alex had never been the type to understand that. Why would whining help a situation? For him, every time he had complained, it had only made his situation worse… much worse. He swallowed hard, thinking about the one time, the only time, he'd complained to Ian Rider.

"_I don't want to be here," he'd whined. Alex had been studying his shoes intently for the past five minutes and was bored out of his skull. He had been sitting there the last twenty-five minutes, and could have told you every single detail in the room. He didn't know what Ian Rider was doing, or why he needed this computer. Why couldn't he work at home? Why did he have to work here? _

_More importantly, why did he have to bring Alex here? Alex almost growled but caught himself, staring instead at his red-and-white shoes. The laces were all white except for one blood stain that was nearly invisible. Alex had bled on them when he'd been tossed down the stairs yesterday._

_Ian whirled around, facing Alex like he was his worst enemy. "I thought I told you not to talk!" Ian Rider barked. He grabbed Alex under the armpits, and, before Alex could make any noise, he dragged him to the closet. _

"_Ian!" Alex pleaded. He as terrified of closets, and Ian knew this. Actually, Ian Rider was instrumental in this. Whenever Ian was over, he always found some way to lock Alex in the closet, regardless of what crime he had or hadn't committed._

_Alex's last crime was eating supper, and he had been locked in the closet for nearly two days for his "offense." He loathed it whenever Ian Rider was over for this reason, amongst others._

_A psychiatrist would have fun with his family, Alex morbidly thought._

"_Shut the hell up, Alex," Ian barked. He grabbed Alex again and shoved him into the closet. He forced Alex to roll over, and took the time to tie his hands behind his back with a white, dirty rope and gag his mouth with an old but clean red and white bandanna._

_That time, Alex Rider stayed in there for almost 78 hours. _

_He had never complained again._

Alex was snapped out of his thoughts by the car pulling to a stop. "We're here," Ian chuckled. "I want you," he said, pointing his M16 weapon at Eagle, "to step out of the car, and dropdown to your knees. Throw the keys in the grass – we won't need them. Then lace your hands behind your head and don't move. Any move you make that isn't on that list will get your little buddy over here killed. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Ian Rider grabbed Eagle by his neck, using his hands to shove the man back over the car seat. "You talked," he growled angrily. His dirty teeth showed as he growled, revealing the fact that he was a chain-smoker. "I didn't say you could talk."

Despite the seriousness of the situation Alex almost snorted. As if anyone could tell Eagle to do anything he didn't want to do. Mildly, he wondered what Eagle's name was, but didn't ask. He exhaled very slowly as he looked at the ground, wondering if there was any way he could just be left in the car when his eyes lit upon something that he noticed: a lighter.

Specifically, Eagle's lighter. It was dark red, the color that Eagle loved to use. Alex didn't hesitate but quickly slipped it into his pocket. Ian had already searched him and probably wouldn't think about looking again for something that was there, right? Alex smirked but quickly swallowed it as he saw Eagle kneel in the grass and lace his hands behind his head.

Wow. Eagle could really listen if he wanted too.

## break ##

Wolf was understandably nervous as he got out of the car and stared at the house. After all, this was the last known location of Eagle and Alex. The pictures that the sergeant's wife had been holding confirmed that much; they showed Eagle being forced to kneel on the ground, Ian Rider holding a gun to the man's head. The sergeant had faxed a copy of the picture to the police, who had informed him that they didn't care and that they weren't going to waste their time looking.

They said that if they didn't manage to find Eagle or Alex to call back within three days, and then they'd look for the two boys.

Wolf was furious and he knew the sergeant was as well. The police officer, even with the faxed photo, had bluntly accused Eagle of setting up and orchestrating the event. "How well do you even know the man?" he'd barked.

One interesting thing that had come out of the situation was that Wolf had finally learned Eagle's real name. It was Jason Phillip White. That, Wolf found to be interesting. Wolf had never known anyone named Jason before.

"Hey, Katakana, Fox, did you find anything?" Wolf and Snake had been scoping out the inside of the house while Fox and Katakana had been scoping out the inside of the house.

"Oh, yeah," Fox responded. "One of the knives is missing, and you've got to see this."

"You do realize that one of the knives could have just been in the dishwasher?" Wolf asked as the trio made their way into the kitchen.

Katakana shook his head. "This isn't a game of hide and seek, Wolf. Normally, I wouldn't have even thought about this, but look – it's the slot for the biggest knife. The biggest knife is laid out here, on the table. Then their smallest knife, if you notice here, is missing from this set."

Wolf stared at Katakana, his mouth agape. "How do you even know all this?" he demanded.

"My mother had the same bread set. When I was younger, I would always try and remove a knife to see if she would notice. She always did, and she taught me her tricks," Katakana responded. At Snake's curious look, he responded, "Yes, my mother is Japanese, and knives are very important to her… for cooking," he responded. "I do not know why someone would take the smallest knife and leave the biggest one; that leads me to believe they were trying to conceal it on their person and already had a weapon."

Snake nodded as he put on a pair of gloves and pulled out the second-biggest knife. "This knife isn't all that tiny. How big would you say the smallest knife is?"

Katakana frowned thoughtfully. "I do not know, maybe about double the size of your average bread knife. I do not think that the size really matters. I think what matters more is that we know the kidnapper is armed and dangerous."

"He's more than that," Fox called from the living room. "Hey, come and look at this!" Katakana and Fox had only had a chance to inspect the kitchen before they'd noticed the missing knife.

"What's up?" Katakana asked before he paused. He knelt down and frowned. "This is definitely blood on this carpet," he said as he glanced at Wolf.

"Do you think it could be…" Wolf didn't say what he was truly feeling out loud. _Do you think it could be Eagle's or Alex's blood_?

"No," Katakana responded with a dismissive sound. "It is way too old. Touch it."

Snake ripped off his gloves and did as he was ordered. "I see what you mean," he responded, "It's almost as if it was crusted into the carpet – there's no way that is their blood."

"But that's a hell of a lot of blood," Wolf responded with a glare at Katakana. Even if he trusted the man he still preferred to work with K-Unit. They worked well as a unit. At least Katakana was a better solider than the last one they'd had substitute on the team. "How did the people cleaning the house miss this?"

"I think we have to look at the possibility that nobody even checked this house," Katakana spoke up. He had always loved detective novels, and here was a chance for him to use his readings in the field. "Otherwise they would have found this blood. I would wager that it's months old."

Snake was next to speak the chilling words. "I think we need to avoid the police department here all together," he responded, "there's someone dirty on that squad, or multiple people who are dirty. It's clear they aren't doing their job."

"I completely agree," Wolf responded.

"Which means," Fox said, "we're on our own." As if they couldn't already tell that.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud, rattling noise. All of the members of the SAS jumped up. Wolf pressed in front of his team, always the leader. He held his gun and was ready for action.

So was the New York Police Department. "This is the New York Police Department," the first man said. It was obvious that he was the leader from the way he spoke. "Drop down to the floor and get on your knees. You're under arrest for the kidnapping of Jason Phillip White and Alex Blunt."

The next thing they knew, a bullet fired, and Katakana was knocked down with a cry as the SWAT team raided the area.

## break ##

Here's your challenge:

Should Katakana get to live?

Where will Eagle and Alex go? How evil is Ian Rider? Will he kill Eagle?

Okay, that's a lot of challenges. Take your pick.

Free virtual cookies to anyone who leaves feedback or a review. I'm offering 10 virtual cookies for each review, so go for it!


	18. Chapter 18

Ian Rider grinned as he tore the black hooded mask off of his victim. It was so much fun to kidnap people, he thought. He exhaled slowly. If only the law did not consider abduction an offense – Ian Rider would kidnap many more people.

At least the New York State Police Department was on his side, he thought with a grin. He had worked there when he was younger. Not many people there took their oaths seriously. Ian Rider smirked as he watched the man he was holding captive blink in shock. "What is your name?" Ian Rider growled as he pressed against Eagle's already injured arm, holding the man back against the wall.

"Why… do you need to know?" Eagle asked warily, his eyes on the knife that was held in Ian's hands. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the fact that he could be killed because of the fact that he **had **tried to protect Alex.

Sure, he knew he could have died anytime during his training at SAS, but did he really have to die during his week off?

Morbidly, Eagle wondered whether or not the sergeant had anyone looking for them yet. On one hand, he hadn't checked in. On another hand, since when did Eagle ever follow the rules with **to a **'T'? Eagle knew that his only hope was that he had checked in the first time on time; that might give the sergeant some motivation for finding him.

Or for at least calling the rescue squad.

Ian Rider grinned, an evil smirk on his face. "Your name," he said, taking out the bread knife that he had stolen from the house. It was now time to make good use of it and abandon it in an alley blocks away.

"I asked," Eagle said through clenched teeth, always hating to repeat himself, "Why on earth you needed it?" Part of him wanted to say, _go ask Alex, _but the other part of him knew that would be signing Cub's death warrant.

"You're asking for it," Ian growled. He forced Eagle to lay on his stomach and lifted up his shirt sleeve. He had forced Eagle to change after they'd arrived; he was planning on shipping Eagle's clothes back to the sergeant. A wicked idea appeared in Ian's mind. He could send the bread knife back to the sergeant! That would be a great idea. "Name."

"Fuck you," Eagle said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Fox always said the torture was worse if you had to look at the instrument the torturer was using. Fox would know - he was held as POW for six months by an unfriendly country before he'd joined the SAS.

Eagle hoped he didn't have to be held captive six months. Even getting out of latrine duty forever wasn't worth that.

"No, fuck you," Ian responded. He then took the bread knife and positioned it on Eagle's skin. Eagle winced as he felt the blade, trying hard not to move. Stillness had never been one of his strong points. "Your name. I'm not asking for a miracle, here; I just want your name!"

Eagle remained silent this time, wondering if that would antagonize Ian more or de-escalate the situation. His eyes remained tightly shut. He may be prepared to take this for his country, but that didn't mean that he wanted too.

"You had your chance," Ian growled. Maintaining his position, he decided that something more had to be done. He should have known. An SAS member wasn't just going to roll over lightly. He took the knife he held and cut it into the bird's skin.

"Fine," Ian responded. "You won't tell me your name? Then I'll carve it into your arm." Ian grinned as he cut the knife into the surface of Eagle's arm, making Eagle wince as he felt the knife. First, the letter 'E' appeared on Eagle's skin. By the time the final cut happened on the letter E, Eagle had finally given up and screamed.

Ian hadn't given the man a chance to redeem himself. He had tried to be polite before and it hadn't worked. He couldn't understand why his mother always said being polite was better – it was being aggressive that got the answers.

Growling, Eagle didn't try and fight back, knowing from experience that fighting back from open knife wounds was painful.

_Flashback_

"_I just wanted your f-n' name," the man growled as he dug into Fox's skin. It was the SAS team's first mission and it was a disaster. Eagle and Fox had ended up being captured and separated from their comrades, held hostage by Iraq criminals who were posing as police officers. "For the record books."_

"_Go to hell," Fox growled. It looked like he was going to have a short-lived SAS career: this was the 2__nd__ time he had been kidnapped._

"_No, but you're going there, soon, if you don't tell me what I want to know." The man grabbed Eagle and slammed him against the wall. "Tell me your name, or I'll kill your comrade." _

_Eagle's determined eyes met Fox's. They had been told that Wolf and Snake were dead. Both knew there was virtually no hope of a rescue. But that didn't mean that they were going to roll over and give up. _

_Eagle shook his head quickly at Fox, and then said, "No, don't tell him my name –he'll think we're pussies for giving in too easy."_

_That startled Fox into a short burst of laughter. "He'll think we're what?"_

End Flashback

The pain brought Eagle back to reality. Eagle would never forget his codename now, even if he wanted too. The hoarse screams that he'd heard had been his. Ian was almost finished carving his code name wrong.

"Now," Ian said, "Your name, please?" He didn't really need Eagle's name. There was no point in gaining a name from a victim you were planning on killing. But he didn't want to start on Alex until Blunt got there, and this would give him something fun to do in the meantime.

"Go to hell," Eagle growled as he looked at Ian.

## break ##

Katakana, Wolf, Snake, and Fox were all handcuffed. They were thrown one-by-one into the black van. All had their mouths duct-taped shut and had pillowcases thrown over their heads. Wolf knew Katakana would be suffering the most, and felt bad for saying he wasn't good to work with earlier. But he only felt mildly bad, because Wolf had very limited empathy.

_You would think this was straight out of a warzone or something, _Wolf thought. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the handcuffs he wore around his wrist. The NYPD officer hadn't bothered to be gentle when handcuffing him but had instead handcuffed him tightly.

Even if these were legit police officers, Wolf knew that this method of transport – duct-taping their mouths and the like – was completely illegal. So that left the question of how the NYPD was corrupt, and what they could do for their side.

Probably, not much.

The four men were herded out into the abandoned area. Wolf growled as he was forced down a flight of sta**irs**. He silently thanked God for his sight – he hated being blind. He winced as his police officer shoved him non-too-gently against the wall.

It made Wolf almost pity for the people who he'd tormented earlier to get answers. Then again, maybe not. He sighed. He wished the NYPD would give them some great clue as to why they were here – it would be helpful.

One by one, their masks were ripped off, and the duct tape was removed from their mouths. Wolf remained silent, not wanting to antagonize the gunman.

You are here for crimes against the state of New York," the first police officer spoke up. Wolf somehow knew it would be very bad to interrupt him, so he just waited for a pause. "You are charged with first degree murder. We have been actively staking out that house, and you were all in it. We think that you are all guilty."

The shock that was clearly visible on his friends' faces surely must have mirrored Wolf. Recalling some of his drug classes, Wolf thought, _is this man high?_

"We can and will torment you anyway we want to get the answers you know," the second man spoke up. "We are not the NYPD. We are the CIA, and we have special permission to use force in this situation."

"Like this," the first man said, speaking up. He picked up his rifle, and shot Katakana point blank in the chest, ignoring Fox's screams.

## break ##

Thanks for all your reviews!

Challenge:

Who thinks Katakana will survive the bullet?


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I hope you enjoy the update! Thanks to _NightmareWorld_ for looking over this chapter.

* * *

><p>"No!" Fox cried out, watching his comrade fall to the ground. Even though he hadn't known Katakana very much, he still didn't want to lose the man, or any of their team members. He closed his eyes, knowing that he would probably open them up to see his comrade dead on the floor, with nothing no-one could do about it, not even Snake. Fox closed his eyes and sucked in his breath, hearing the bullet slam into his friend's body.<p>

Katakana cried out, and attempted to clutch his chest. He wasn't able too. His handcuffs prevented him from doing so. But there was no blood, nothing to indicate that he could have just been shot in the chest. Fox realized that the man must have been using a blank, and he swallowed hard, thanking God it wasn't a real bullet. He knew if it was a real bullet, Katakana would be dead. But what was the point of that little exercise?

The CIA member smirked. "That was just a little lesson," the man taunted as Katakana moaned and picked himself up, using his elbow to position himself from the floor. "We can do whatever we want. And that _includes_ mock executions," the CIA man responded. He grabbed Fox by his shirt collar and pulled him up, hauling him against the gray, drab, concrete wall. Fox winced as he felt one of the old lacerations on his back touch the concrete.

"Did you just say no to me?" he added, glaring at Fox. Fox swallowed hard, knowing that yes, he did just say no. What was he supposed to say? The man had been about to execute his friend, for God's sake, or at least that was how it appeared.

"Leave him alone!" Wolf demanded angrily. He would have pushed himself up and launched an attack on the man, even with his handcuffs; if not for the fact that Snake was glaring at him evilly, and the fact that he knew he'd probably be killed.

"Oh, you care for this one, now, do you?" the CIA officer sneered. He flickered his lighter in front of Fox's face, and Fox swallowed hard. He knew he couldn't show his fear of flames. It wasn't so much that he was scared of fire as he was scared of being burned. "I guess I'll mark him first," he said, pressing the lighter against Fox's elbow.

Fox couldn't help the scream that escaped from his lips as the officer burned him with the BIC lighter. He could feel the flame against his skin. It felt like hell – Fox didn't really know how else to put it. He couldn't even think as the pain rippled through his body. And then, without any warning, he was shoved to the ground.

"Take this as a lesson," the CIA man responded. "We can, and will, do anything to you. And that includes killing you. You're guilty until proven innocent, here, and good luck proving your innocence. It's never happened before." With that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Wolf's heart sank when he heard it lock shut.

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Alex," Ian Rider cooed. He had finished his torture session with the feathered bird and was ready to move onto Alex now, especially since he'd received special instructions from Blunt. He'd basically been waiting for those while he was torturing Eagle. Usually, he didn't torture people quite as much as he was doing today, but hey, he'd been in jail for a long time, and hadn't been able to have as much fun as he was used to having. It was hard to torture people in jail and get away with it. People were such squealers.<p>

Alex didn't back away from Ian. He'd learned long ago that was a bad idea. He settled on glaring at him instead.

"Oh, come on, Alex," Ian said. He reached out and ruffled Alex's hair, causing Alex to shy away this time. Alex felt the vomit rise in the center of his mouth. "Don't resist me," he added, backhanding Alex against the mouth. "You're mine," he added as he grabbed Alex by the arm and dragged him to the next room. It was probably the living room or something. Ian didn't really know.

"I hate you," Alex said suddenly, kicking against him. Ian just laughed and pushed back against Alex, the cigar stains on his teeth showing. He then, without warning, bit into Alex's arm, causing the boy to scream.

"You fucking pervert," Alex gasped out. Ian just laughed, knowing how much Alex hated it when he did that.

"Now, now, language, Alex," Ian said. He grinned as he saw the blood start to drain from Alex's wound. Oh, he so loved blood. "Now," he said, grabbing the boy by his blue shirt collar and dragging him towards the closet. He grinned, knowing the teenager was claustrophobic, and that the next 12 hours until Alan Blunt arrived would be hell for the teenager. "Your father is coming in a few hours, and he told me to just hold you tight until he got there, so this is what I'm doing."

"He's not my father!" Alex burst out angrily. "The sergeant is more of a father than he ever was - " With that, the door was slammed closed, and Alex was left bleeding in the pitch-black darkness of the closet.

* * *

><p>The sergeant was not a happy man. Always a man of action, he was furious that Wolf hadn't checked in with him, hadn't given him a lead to go on. This wasn't like Wolf. Sure, maybe one of his other team leaders might go for two days without checking in, but Wolf was always OCD about that sort of thing. That was exactly why the sergeant had sent him on this mission. He sighed as he bowed his head in prayer, silently asking God for help. He needed answers, and quite frankly, he didn't know where else to turn.<p>

"Something wrong, sweetie?" Jack asked as she slid into the other room. "Besides the obvious, I mean," she added as an afterthought.

"I haven't heard from Wolf," the sergeant responded. "He's always been so OCD about checking in before, and I expressly told him at least every 12 hours, at least."

"How long has it been since his last communication message?" Jack asked as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

"See, that's the other thing, too." The sergeant sighed as he stretched. "I sent him to the damn town, telling him to call me when he got there, to call me the second he realized what was going on. So far, there's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"You're right," Jack responded. "That is absolutely not like Wolf." She exhaled forcefully. "Do you think that the law enforcement officers are really dirty?" she questioned anxiously.

The sergeant stared at Jack as if she'd suddenly said the moon was red. "Shit," he muttered as he got up. "Damn it. I bet you they got there, wanted to check out the house, and then they got into trouble because of the officers…"

Little did the sergeant know just how right he was.

* * *

><p>Challenges as below. You do not have to answer them all, or any of them, just pick your favorite! Any review is a good review.<p>

1. When will the sergeant discover "just how right" he is?

2. How badly wounded is Eagle?

3. Will anyone die in the duration of this fic, and if so, who?


	20. Chapter 20

Alex didn't feel very good. He had been left in the closet for well over 10 hours, but of course, he didn't know that. He had no clue how long he had been there, but he knew it was too long. He had found out, though, that he didn't mind the closet anymore.

It wasn't so much that he had conquered his claustrophobia, but more that he found that he could take a break from Ian's wrath in the dark silence of the closet. He was very grateful to Eagle and the sergeant. Even if he was never able to go back to them, he was grateful that he had gotten a chance to know them. And how he prayed that he could go back! He couldn't imagine living with his father and Ian long-term.

It was then when the door opened. Alex swallowed visibly hard. He knew who it would be.

Without a doubt, it was. "Miss me?" It was Alan Blunt. He hadn't changed in the weeks Alex hadn't seen him… except that he'd possibly gotten more psychopathic. Alex scooted back towards the wall, knowing that it wouldn't do any good and would only get Alan angry at him.

"Well, well, lookey who we have here," Alan sneered. He reached in and grabbed Alex's hand firmly, enjoying the look in Alex's terrified eyes. He knew that he did not have long to spend right this second, as he had a more pressing issue to address, but he wanted to make sure that Alex knew that _he_ was in charge.

After all, that damn sergeant had his kid for too long. Who knew what damage he could have done to Alex? His blood burning, Alan pulled hard against his sons' hand. He chuckled, watching Alex feebly struggle. He shoved his son against the white wall, grinning at his sons' pain.

"You're going to be in pain," Alan told his son happily. He glanced down at him and frowned.

Alex had passed out.

Damn. Well, at least he could now handle his issue with the bird now. He could always go back and torment his son later.

## break ##

Eagle groaned as he rolled over. He had been left on the all-but-threadbare cement floor, and he felt more exhausted than he ever could have remembered feeling before. It probably had something to do with the stab wounds that were now all over his arm - wounds that would no doubt be permanent reminders of what he'd experienced, of the kid he tried to help.

He exhaled slowly as he closed his eyes. He was trying to "enjoy" his few minutes of alone time. Ian Rider had tortured him for what he thought was most of the morning, and he was quite happy to get a break. If he had had more energy, he probably would have tried to plot an escape, but he just couldn't think about that right now.

The door creaked open, and Eagle exhaled forcefully. He was trying to convince himself he wasn't scared of Ian, but he was. Ian had spent half an hour torturing him for no reason at all other than he'd made the mistake of caring for Alex.

It didn't matter. Eagle wouldn't take it back for the world. He'd been abused. Hell, he'd been badly abused. One of the things he had been admittedly afraid of was that the sergeant would think badly of him (think he had a twisted mind, or something) for trying to help Alex. It had been the total opposite; the sergeant had been extremely grateful. And up until Alan Blunt had the audacity to interfere with Alex's life, they'd been getting along great. Cub had even opened up a little bit – something that had taken Eagle much, much longer to do. Now, all that progress was probably ruined, thanks to Alan Blunt.

Well, actually, if Eagle wanted to be _really _technical, it was thanks to Ian Rider, who had kidnapped both him and Alex. But he had no doubt that Alan Blunt had orchestrated the entire kidnapping. Or would be here during some point of it.

Groaning as he moved his arm, Eagle tried not to look at it. He failed. Ian hadn't bothered to clean off his arm after he'd finished tormenting him (and why would he? After all, it wasn't in _his _best interests to keep his arm clean). The blood was matted and, if Eagle didn't know better, he would have thought that someone had taken blood and just dumped it over the arm. Eagle would have cleaned it off himself, but he'd tried using his shirt and that hadn't worked. There was virtually nothing else in the entire room that he could even attempt to use.

The door opened again, and Eagle glanced up. Much to his horror, there were, indeed, Alan Blunt and Ian Rider standing there. They both had smirks on their faces, and somehow, Eagle just _knew_ that this was going to be very, very bad.

## break ##

Wolf was understandably pissed. He and his men had been captured, being held by hostile agents. Agents that shouldn't even be legally wearing their uniform, because that's how bad (well, how illegal) they were.

So far, they'd mock-executed Katakana, shocked Fox with an electric wire, and beaten Snake. What was Snake's crime? He moved when he was told not to. One inch, that is. He'd moved his foot one inch.

The door that was blocking them from their escape opened. Wolf glanced up. Katakana – who had been the medic on his team – was talking with Snake, trying to calm him down. Snake's beating had been very, very bad, that was all Wolf knew. On one hand, he wished he had more medical training so that he knew how bad Snake was. On another hand, he was grateful that he didn't know – sometimes denial was a pleasant thing.

There were two men there, with guns. They had grim smiles on their faces. Wolf just knew that this was going to be bad. He swallowed hard, worried about his chances of survival.

Suddenly, another body was dumped there. Not just any body, though. Wolf recognized the form of Eagle being dropped on the ground, and his anger grew. Were these men in cohorts with Alan Blunt? It had every possibility of making sense, Wolf thought, the worried knot in his stomach growing. He swallowed hard, trying not to look fearful in front of the man.

"Well, well, well," the man said. "We have all of K-Unit here. I think it's time for a little fun, don't you?"

Sure, all of the K-Unit was there. If you counted the fact that Snake and Eagle were both sleeping and injured. Wolf felt his anger against them grow.

"I just wanted to set an example of what NOT to do while you're under arrest here," the first man said. "Hey, you with the red shirt. Back against the wall."

Katakana backed away nervously, raising his hands as he looked at the man, trying hard not to flinch as the muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at him. Wolf swallowed hard. Were they seeing a torture session? A mock execution? Or… another murder?

_What in heaven's name was happening here_?

"You have been found guilty of a crime," the first man said. "You can pick one of your team mates to suffer for it, if you desire, or you can suffer for it yourself. It is your choice."

This couldn't be happening.

"I will take it," Katakana said as he placed his hands on his head, laced together, just as he had been ordered.

"Good," the first man said. "It's only fitting, anyway. I did really want to kill you that first time."

And then, with that, he fired his gun directly at Katakana. Wolf heard himself screaming, but was unable to do anything because of the arms that restrained him. Blood spilled all over the floor, and Katakana gave a cry of pain.

Before anyone could do anything, Katakana had been removed from this life, having been only the first one to actually sacrifice his life for Alex Rider.

And their week of hell was only just beginning.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Look, an update! I'm sorry for the delay. The last few weeks have been exhausting between freelance writing, work, school, and internship. But I won't make you wait any further. "Enjoy" chapter twenty one of _Some Rich Man's Son! _Challenge is at the bottom. I checked this time, I promise. **Thanks to all the reviewers! ** This has been my most reviewed book by far. Keep it up!

Oh - and there is the promised scene between Alan and Alex!

* * *

><p>Katakana's death had shocked everyone. Fox had been hauled out of the room slightly later, despite Wolf's protests. Wolf had all but begged their captor not to take Fox away, but he'd just been mocked, smacked, and shoved to the floor with a vicious kick. Wolf was somber as he looked at his comrades. Snake had recovered somewhat from his beating, but was still subdued, and despite the seriousness of the situation, was sleeping.<p>

Wolf couldn't wake him up.

Eagle was awake, but Wolf would almost rather he go to sleep. After he got done grilling him, of course. They'd checked the room for bugs, and found none. Not that it really mattered to Wolf, it was just standard SAS procedure. "What happened?" he growled as he looked at Eagle's arm. Ian had cleaned Eagle's arm up a little bit, but it was still matted in blood.

"Ian," Eagle muttered grimly. He had given up on getting his arm clean. After Katakana had been murdered, and Fox had been dragged out of the room, Eagle, Wolf, and Snake had been moved to another room. Snake had responded by promptly responded by falling asleep, which worried Wolf more than he cared to admit. Snake was usually so ready for action… to see him like this scared wolf.

"A little more detail would be helpful," Wolf growled. Eagle chuckled, just glad to see _someone_ on their team acting like their usual self again, a relief in itself. "Start at the beginning. What happened? All I know is that we looked for you at the house, and you weren't there."

"It was so stupid," Eagle muttered. He looked really upset, which didn't make Wolf feel good. Although he didn't blame Eagle for being upset – he had just seen his comrade be killed after all – he was a little nervous for his whole team. "Alex told me it was a stupid idea, that he thought it was a bad idea that he even came. I told him that it was a good idea, I mean, after all, he needs to get his old stuff from his house, right? So I suggested checking into a hotel and then coming back. I thought that would give Alex time to calm down, for me to call Sarge and let him know that we got there."

Eagle was the only one who could call the sergeant 'Sarge' without getting his ass ripped off by the sergeant himself. Wolf reflected on that for a second, wondering about it, and then shrugged mentally and turned back to Eagle. "I'm guessing you never made it," he said. "Or that the hospitality of the hotel wasn't very good," he added.

Snorting in response to Wolf's last comment, Eagle responded, "Yeah. Ian had been in the house, and unfortunately, he saw us before we saw him. Not that I'm sure it would have done much good if we'd seen him," Eagle added bitterly.

_Alex nodded. Going to the hotel would give him a chance to emotionally regroup before he faced the house that had nearly killed him. Although, admittedly, the house hadn't nearly killed him – his so-called father had. "Sounds like a good idea to me," he responded._

_"That's a very good idea," a voice behind them said. Suddenly, Alex clutched at his neck, grabbing behind him. Alex clutched his neck as he felt someone grab him from behind. He tried to move, but found a hand wrapped around his waist. "Why not invite me in?"_

_It was Ian Rider._

_Alex would recognize the man's voice anywhere. His blood froze. His uncle had formerly been in prison for three counts of rape and one count of child abuse. Alex swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "N-No m-monsters allowed," he stuttered._

_"Well, well, well," the man responded. He touched Alex's cheek, making the boy's skin crawl. "Looks like I get to have my fun early,__nephew__." He held the knife he'd acquired from the house at Alex's neck before moving it to where it couldn't be seen by passerbys. Not that there were any at the desolate hour._

_"And I get an added bonus as well." He glanced at the man. It was a good thing for Eagle that Ian hadn't recognized him, because Blunt had originally wanted to shoot Eagle upon sight. "Put your weapon on the ground if you want the boy to live," Ian said._

_Eagle swallowed hard, but did as the man said. The man shifted and grabbed the pistol. Now he had two weapons. "We're going to get in the car very slowly," the man said. "I'm going to get in the backseat with Alex, and you're going to drive."_

_Slowly, they did as the man commanded. Eagle had as sinking feeling in his gut, as if he was signing their own death warrants._

"I just felt so hopeless," Eagle confessed. "I knew that by listening to Ian I was signing my death warrant, and probably Alex's too. But I didn't really see any alternative that wouldn't get us shot."

"We'll get out of here, Eagle," Wolf said, trying to be comforting.

"How?" Eagle said, his voice depressed. Wolf winced. Eagle was cheerful 99.9% of the time. When he got on one of his depression cycles, as Wolf liked to call him, it was not pretty. _Shit_, Wolf thought. "In case you didn't realize, they just killed Katakana – they shot him with a fucking real bullet and they were scraping his blood off the floor! Who is going to explain to his family that he died? Oh, jeeze, I don't know, maybe _no-one_, because we'll all be dead too!"

"Eagle-," Wolf started, but was interrupted as Eagle launched ahead.

"Wolf," Eagle responded impatiently. He was also one of the brave few that challenged Wolf's thinking. "I don't know, man. I just…" he sank down to the ground. "Wolf, they took Fox away. They branded him with what – I don't know, but it looks god-awful. Snake looks like he was beaten half to death, for what – I think you said it was moving his shoe! I want to help Alex, I want to get out of here, but I _don't know how_! And don't give me that 'when there's a will, there's a way' bullshit either. These guys are pros. We need a plan."

"And if you can shut the fuck up for a minute, I can give you one!" Wolf responded. Normally he wasn't so crass with his words, but he couldn't help himself that time. "Look. These guys are pros, and yeah, that's bad. But it's also good. They're pros, right? They're experienced. They've done this a thousand times before."

"How's that _good_?" Eagle whined. He seemed to be a little better after his rant.

"Because they're predictable," Wolf responded, remembering what he'd always heard from the famous FBI television shows. "Remember? Pros are usually people who have one set method. They aren't going to be expecting us to try anything now, right? They killed Katakana, separated us from Fox, and beat Snake. They think the last thing we'll do is try anything."

"I know that." Eagle looked impatient for a second, then his face lit up with a smile. "So we surprise them, right?"

"Yup." Wolf glanced at Snake. "How many people do you think have escaped out of this fine facility with a comrade unconscious?"

"None," Eagle responded, turning worriedly towards Snake. "What happened?"

"Beaten for moving his shoe, just like I told you before." Wolf was beginning to get impatient. He had a plan, he needed to share it with someone. Eagle would probably be more agreeable to it than Snake. Snake always used too much common sense.

Maybe it was better that Snake was unconscious for the duration of the plan. If the plan didn't actually involve getting all three of them killed, that was.

"I've got a plan, but it's risky." He glanced at Eagle, trying to determine where his teammate was at.

"Risky is better than dead," Eagle replied. "Let's hear it."

"Um, yeah, there's one more thing."

Eagle turned back to glance at Wolf. "I was expecting that. You know, you haven't even begun to talk about the plan yet. Just don't be like Jackie Chan's grandfather with the 'and one…'"

"Eagle," Wolf said impatiently, "Shut up. Here's the thing: the plan involves using you as bait."

* * *

><p>"Get up!" Alex was roughly shoved against the white wall. He groaned, blinking rapidly as he awoke. He knew he wasn't back at home with Tyler and Jack, so where was he?<p>

"I said stand _up_!" Alan Blunt yelled. Alex groaned, knowing the answer to his question immediately. He tried to move his body, but it refused to listen to him. Alan growled and grabbed Alex's left wrist. "Worthless human being," he responded.

How _dare_ the sergeant think he could be a better father than Alan Blunt? Alan smiled again as his son let out a scream after he kicked his son. Alex tried to scramble away from his father's hand, but Alan held firmly – until he shoved his son face-first on the floor.

"You only thought you could get away from me, boy," he gloated.

"S-stop," Alex responded, weakly trying once more to get away.

Alan's temper flared. He'd spent years training Alex not to ask him to stop. Now, because of his time with the sergeant, he'd have to retrain Alex again on all the damn rules. With this in mind, he decided to solve problems once and for all.

He grabbed Alex's arm and twisted it firmly, admiring the tears that ran down his son's face. Alex had held out this long without crying, which was actually pretty good. But he wanted – no, _needed_ – to see his son cry again.

That translated too – he needed to know that he was in charge again. Alan grinned happily as his son cried out as his arm snapped. Good. He'd broken his son's arm. His right arm, the one Alan had seen him usually use. Damn, was his kid right-handed or left-handed? He couldn't remember. He decided he didn't care.

He dropped his son on the floor, deciding not to torment him too much – yet. For so long he'd been careful not to attack Alex too much because he didn't want others knowing. But now, the secret was already out, thanks to Alex. So who really cared how much damage he did to his son?

Alan Blunt certainly didn't. He knelt down next to Alex, watching his son try to blink his tears from his face. Alex never wanted to cry. Didn't he realize that was what Alan Blunt _wanted_ him to do? Stupid child. Alan took the time to smack his son in the face – hard. He wished he'd knocked some of Alex's teeth out, but it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon. It was probably better that it didn't anyway. "I have good news for you, Alex," he said happily. He watched his son pull himself up shakily to look at him. He glared at Alex, trying to convey the message that he was in charge again. Alex _would_ get it – one way or another.

"Go to hell," Alex responded wearily. His son looked truly exhausted. Alan was glad for that – less chance of Alex deciding to fight back.

"Language, son." Alan grinned happily. "Now, I've appointed a caretaker for you. You probably know him – his code name is 'Fox.' As soon as I get done beating his real name out of him, we'll start our journey across the country. How does that sound?"

"Don't hurt him!" Alex responded. Alan resisted the urge to smack him again, then decided to do it anyway. He backhanded his son once more. He didn't really care about Fox's real name. He wasn't going to call him by that anyway. He just wanted an excuse to break the SAS agent.

"I'm in charge now, Alex. Not the sergeant, not Fox, and _certainly_ not you. Get used to it. Anyway, we're going to go across the country. We're currently in America right now, which is great, because my crimes were committed on Britain's soil and not American soil. Less people, if anyone, will be looking for me here. We're going to go to California because I know someone there who will help us start a new life together. Fox will be your caretaker, but he will also be your brother. What do you think?"

He smirked inwardly at Alex's glare. Well, it looked like his kid was upset. Good, that was what he wanted. "Although, if he or you screws up too badly, I could just kill you both. Got that?"

With one final kick at his son, Alan Blunt left the room.

* * *

><p>Whoa! You read it this far. Congrats! You must like it a little bit, right? *Review if you do.*<p>

Two challenges this time.

One: How is Alan Blunt going to break Fox?

Two: What is Wolf's plan that "Involves using Eagle as bait?"


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Dedicated to _Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur, _who did the challenges. So... Be sure to answer them!

* * *

><p>It was quiet. Too quiet, really, Fox thought as he awoke from his sleep. He felt like he had been drugged, but he couldn't be certain. He checked his hands. They were not bound. Neither were his legs. Shakily, he pushed himself up off the floor, looking around the area. What had happened?<p>

Then it hit him at once. Katakana being shot and dying. There was no way anyone could have survived that much blood loss. His yelling at them not to shoot Katakana. Wolf's pleading. If nothing else, he'd discovered that Wolf could actually plead, should the situation determine it. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about the incident and attempted to shove it to the back of his mind.

Pushing himself up using his hand, Fox surveyed the room. He was alone. Wolf, Snake, and Eagle had all been removed, which made Fox worried for his safety. Either that, or _he_ had been removed, which made him worried for his own safety. He saw the security camera that was watching him, and sighed. So they would know he was awake.

Great, so much for the super-spy routine of "just don't open your eyes and no-one will be able to know you're awake," he thought to himself. Closing his eyes again, he slumped against the wall. If there was a security camera there, it meant he was being watched as well and that there was no point of darting for the door, it would only bring himself pain.

Sure enough, five minutes later, a man came in the room, his face red. Fox felt like he should know him from somewhere. Then it hit him.

Alan Blunt, Alex's father, formerly the world leader of the renowned MI6. Not anymore. No he didn't know who was in charge of MI6 and didn't really care too. He would never join them now.

If it even mattered anymore; he might not even make it out of this situation alive. Suddenly, his face stung, as if he was being slapped. He blinked awake, forcing his eyes to open. Why the hell was he so tired? He had to have been drugged.

"Well, well, lookie who we have here," Katakana sneered.

Except it couldn't be Katakana, because Katakana was dead. So who the hell was standing here?

* * *

><p>They needed a plan.<p>

Wolf had one.

It probably wasn't a good plan, but that didn't matter. All they needed was for it to work.

"Ready?" Wolf hissed, hearing the men down the hallway. They had been locked in a rook that had cement walls and a brown, rusty door that left them no chance to escape.

Well, not unless they did something about their situation, that was. None of the K-Unit men were men who were willing to just simply lie down and roll with their captors… not even Alex.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Eagle whispered. He was back by Snake. Knowing they couldn't rush out all three of them, they had to settle for a second-rate plan. But if it would work…

The door opened, and Wolf moved. "We need help. He's bleeding," he said, pointing to Snake. "He's bleeding and he's unconscious. We need a first aid kit, now!"

"Sit!" The first man barked. When Wolf didn't do as he commanded, he made a move to shove him down – and then all hell broke loose.

Snake, who had apparently only been pretending to be unconscious, launched a full-scale attack, taking out one of the men with a massive kick. Eagle looked at him in shock for about a second, then launched himself into the fight. The two men were down instantly.

"Eagle," Wolf commanded, "Grab his shirt and tie him up. Snake, I don't know what the hell you were planning, but nice work. And don't ever scare the shit out of me like him again. Get the second dude's gun."

"Why don't I get a gun?" Eagle whined as he finished tying the man's hands. He really didn't care, there was no point in arguing, but… "We need to get out of here," he added.

"We're going." Snake _clanged_ the door shut behind them before launching out the weapon. "Don't look at me like that, Wolf. I'll explain as soon as I get away and we talk to the sergeant. Deal?"

"Deal," Wolf grumbled as they crawled through the silent area. Wolf almost had a heart attack when someone appeared, but then slinked down the hall, apparently not noticing the men.

A few minutes later – minutes that seemed to drag on for hours – and they were out into the sunlight. Wolf breathed an exhale of relief, shoving his gun in his pocket. "We need to get away from the area. Now."

"What about Fox and Alex?"

"We'll get back to them. Look, Eagle, there's three of us and God knows _how_ many men there. I know I like challenges but I don't like that much of a challenge. God! Don't look at me like that, they aren't dead, we'll get them back."

Eagle remained silent as the three men wordlessly walked through the streets.

* * *

><p>The sergeant wasn't happy.<p>

He was pissed.

Twenty-four hours with no leads on his son had passed. Forty eight hours. Seventy-two. He couldn't afford to let more time crawl by. A New York agent said that he would be happy to help with the case, luckily, and his team had been in at the time. An FBI agent, some man called Don Eppes, his younger brother Charlie – some kind of a math genius – two other men, and a woman.

"We need primates around the house where Alex was going too," Charlie said, pointing to the map as he leaned over the table. "In seventy-two hours, they could have gotten to Australia, but I don't think they'll go that far."

"Why not?" Don questioned.

Charlie pointed at the sergeant. "Tyler – that's your name, right? - has his son here. Alan Blunt, MI6 mastermind, will probably be wanting something from you. Has he asked for anything?"

Tyler shook his head. "No. My fear is that he's so hell bent on injuring his son that he'll go to the ends of the earth to do it."

"A justified fear," Don muttered. "Okay. So what do we have? We have someone who's so bent on torturing his son that he'll do anything to torture him. We have someone who's willing to pose as police officers to stay one step ahead of the law. And we have…"

"Three very pissed off SAS men who would like to speak to their boss." Colby ducked his head into the room. "Tyler, do the codenames Wolf, Snake, and Eagle sound familiar? They wouldn't give me their real names."

"Yes," Tyler responded, looking at the man in amazement, as if he had just said that cows came in a new color – purple. "Take me too them."

"Who the hell is SAS again?" Don could be heard mumbling as Colby lead the man to his comrades, who were in the NYPD war room.

"SAS is the British Military secret ops. Sort of," Colby explained. "What? Don't look at me like that. You know I'm into that war stuff."

"You're weird," Don muttered as he walked into the room.

Maybe now they could get a lead.

* * *

><p>Alex groaned as he awoke. He blinked twice, not really believing what he was seeing. Where the hell was he? He certainly wasn't in Kansas, anymore. Smiling at the unbidden line from the movies he used to watch with Mrs. Blunt, the movies his father would never let him see, he peered at the door.<p>

Moving off of his bed – wow, he got an actual bed this time, not a cot, how did that happen? A mix-up? – he opened the door.

Or at least tried too. It was locked.

Sighing, Alex glanced at the room. There was nothing else in it besides the bed – _oh, now, wait, there was the cot, that was probably for him – _ and a few clothes piled by the door. He inspected them closer. Two different sizes.

So he was to stay here, him and someone else. Who? He sincerely doubted it would be his father. The man never wanted to see him, not unless he was punishing him. Unbidden, thinking of the word "father" brought pangs to Alex's heart. Tyler and Jack had been more of a family than he'd ever been. Trying not to wonder if he would ever go back to Tyler – _when there was a will, there was a way _– Alex glanced up at the door. He tried to turn it with his right arm, and winced. Damn, that must have been the one his father had broken. That would make things more interesting…

The door opened, knocking Alex back.

Fox was roughly shoved into the room by another man. "You're allowed to stay in here for awhile, but don't get too comfortable," the first man taunted. He didn't understand the reference, but instead watched as the door slammed and rushed over to Fox.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, watching as the man pushed himself up. Or at least, as he attempted too.

"Yeah," Fox responded, breathing a bit heavily, "Just peachy."

"Who was that guy?"

"Don't ask." Fox shivered.

It was true: Katakana had, through magic, either faked his own bloody death or come back to life, and he was here to help Ian and Alan Blunt torment Fox and Alex.

Their situation looked bleak, and their fate looked sealed – like a dark, gray tombstone.

* * *

><p>1) How is K-Unit going to get Fox and Alex back?<br>2) What part will Katakana play with torturing?  
>3) When will Alan and Ian come back?<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: For all of you who have been wanting more Alex, here is some Alex! In addition to this chapter, next chapter will be mainly Alex/Ian and Alex/Blunt interaction, so stay tuned. Of course, K-Unit will still show up, as well. Challenge at the bottom.

* * *

><p>"<em>Dad?" seven year old Alex whispered. He breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of the man's response. He'd seemed really tense and angry lately, and the last thing Alex wanted to do was make him mad. But he did really want to get some breakfast.<em>

_He sighed as he opened the bowl of cereal and got the milk out of the fridge. At seven he was already used to getting food for himself. Alex gasped as he was roughly grabbed from behind._

"_Hey!" Alex said, wincing as he felt himself shoved to the floor. He glanced up. It was not his father who had grabbed him, but Ian. "Let me go!" he screamed. "Don't touch me. Please don't touch me!" _

_He knew how vicious Ian could be. He didn't want to be anywhere near him. The last time Ian had come by, he was bitten by the guy. _

_Needless to say, he hated Ian. _

"_Hey!" he tried again as he was roughly dragged. "Let me go! I don't want to listen to you!"_

_All sign of breakfast was forgotten as Alex was dragged by Ian to his room for some "play" time – all because Alex had forgotten to take off his shoes when he'd entered the house last night, and Blunt had wanted to 'remind' him._

_End flashback_

* * *

><p><em>Later… <em>

"We're going to have some fun," Katakana said as he looked Fox directly in the eyes. Fox couldn't help but squirm under the man's uncomfortable glare. "Ian is coming to get Alex. We're going to the final resting place, where Blunt will make his plans. In the mean time, it's been decided that we're better separated. So Ian's goal is to get the destination with Alex, and it's my goal to get to the destination with you."

"I'm not going anywhere with Ian," Alex responded, drawing Katakana's attention from Fox. "I hate him. He can die and go to hell."

Katakana raised his eyebrows, gripping Alex by his chin and forcing the teenager to look at him. "The teenager's got balls, I like that," he said towards Alex. "Tell me, Alex, how you feel about short term engagements?" he dropped Alex's head.

At Alex's confused look, Katakana quickly amended. "One night stands? I know none of the K-Unit swing that way, but I do. Let me tell you something, Little Alex, you don't speak without permission or I'll just drag you to a separate room and give you a taste of a one night stand. Are we clear?"

"Go to hell."

Fox winced. _They really needed to teach Alex the art of negotiation_. Sometimes it was just better for them to shut up and listen. This would have been one of those situations.

"You're lucky I don't have time right now," Katakana said. "Just ask Fox, mate. I do follow through on my threats. And I am going to punish you. Give me your arm."

"No." With that, Alex was roughly shoved to the floor. Fox tried to break free from the door that he'd been handcuffed too, but found himself unable to. Katakana placed his knee on the small of Alex's back. "You're going to listen, you little son of a bitch," Katakana responded. He gently lifted up Alex's shirt sleeve, revealing his arm.

"Don't hurt him!" Fox cried out, knowing what was going to happen. He pulled desperately against the door, but it was no use. Not only was he handcuffed to the door, his foot was also cuffed to the pole that was in the room. Fox didn't want to know why it was there.

"Shut up," Katakana said, flashing his knife at Fox. "I swear to God, I'm coming after you next, got it?"

Fox growled silently, wondering what he could do to help Alex. "Why? Are you too scared to come after me now?" he demanded, hoping to give Alex a chance to break free and slip away.

Katakana just rolled his eyes and focused on his task. He knew what Fox was trying to do, and he wasn't going to fall for it.

Alex closed his eyes, trying to think of any way out of the situation. He couldn't escape the yelp that escaped his lips when Katakana pressed the knife down on his arm, hard, making it bleed. Katakana smiled as he stood up. Alex groaned, clutching at his hand.

It was then when Katakana licked the blood off of the knife.

Not able to control himself, Alex responded by promptly throwing up.

* * *

><p>Alex groaned as he awoke the second time. His hand had been bandaged, but he wasn't fooled. He knew that Ian - or whoever had done it – didn't really care about him, they just cared about making sure he lasted longer, not wanting to get infected. It was the message he'd been preached all of his life.<p>

_Nobody cares about you, Alex. If they do patch you up, it's just to make sure you can't die before they have time to torture you more. Got it_? He'd heard those words from his father since he was five.

_Flashback_

"_Daddy! Want play!" Alex said, tugging on his father's leg. He saw the dark look on his father's face, but didn't understand it._

"_Jones," his father said, "Your child is pestering me."_

"_He's your child, too. Why don't you take care of him for awhile?" Mrs. Blunt demanded as she stormed out of the kitchen._

"_Fine, you want to play?" Blunt demanded. Alex shied away, not knowing why. Why was his father so upset? _

_Grabbing Alex's arm, Blunt dragged him across the room before forcing him into the closet. Alex felt a tear run down his face as the door slid shut. Why did his daddy want him in here? He didn't understand…_

_He grabbed at the lock, or tried too, but it was well above Alex's head. Even if he would have been able to get it, he would have found that it was locked._

"_Daddy!" Alex demanded. He was then silent. Obviously he wasn't going to get what he wanted from his father. His only question was… how long would he be in there this time?_

## end flashback ##

Alex stared up at Ian, thinking the same thing this time. How long would he be with Ian this time? After the man – he still didn't know his name, he realized – had cut him, he'd been shipped off to Ian.

For the first time in his lifetime with his father, though, Alex found something important.

He found that he had hope.

He had hope that the sergeant would rescue him.

* * *

><p>"We have a lead," a somber Don Eppes said as he greeted the group. Eagle, Wolf, and Snake stood before them. They'd arrested the men at the place where the trio was being held and had them all in interrogation rooms. "Does the name Katakana sound familiar?"<p>

"Yeah," Wolf was the first to speak up. Don knew, somehow, that he was the leader of the SAS team. "That's a code name for the one who took Fox's – I mean, Ben's – place on the mission. Why?"

"We think he's involved," Don said, putting the photos down on the table.

Wolf looked at the photos wearily. One photo was of Katakana licking blood off of a knife; another one was him piercing the skin of Alex Rider; yet a third was of him holding up a knife to someone else's throat.

"That's my son!" the sergeant said as he looked at the picture. "This is Alex Blunt," he explained, putting the picture he'd taken of his son to celebrate his adoption next to the other picture. "That's my man, Fox, or well, Ben," he amended, realizing that the FBI agents had the clearance and the need-to-know of his men's names.

"You know what I think?" Eagle said, speaking up. "I think Katakana must have been in on it from the start."

* * *

><p>Challenge:<p>

Has Katakana been on it "from the start?"

How bad will Alex get hurt by Ian and Blunt?

Will Fox be able to escape Katakana's wrath alive?

Pick one and respond, or review to all if you have time!


	24. Chapter 24

"_We all got things that are hidden in the closet. We all got pain, and the same thing causes it. The spirit the flesh still flaws it –" Playdough, The Difference_

* * *

><p>Alex Rider had been taken away only moments after Katakana's threat, and Fox found himself alone in the room with Katakana. He closed his eyes, not wanting to be tortured, but not willing to give bend over and just randomly listen to Katakana. He exhaled forcefully, trying to make up his mind and decide what to do.<p>

_At least Alex was out of there_, he thought, resigned. He couldn't help but wonder if one of the team was going to give their life for Alex Rider.

"We should go," Katakana said, surprising Fox. He'd expected to be tortured, or, at the very least, to be beaten and told to do as Katakana commanded him. Fox allowed Katakana to unhandcuff him and release him from where he'd pulled the chains.

It wasn't that he wanted to cooperate with Katakana. He was just doing it because it beat being tortured. That, and he hoped to be with Alex Rider when he escaped, even if it meant giving his life for the teenager. Fox stood, stretching, grateful to be out of the handcuffs. Even though Katakana hadn't been brutal towards him, yet, he knew that he still looked bad. He'd been beaten at least once since the K-Unit had been captured, and the back of his shirt was torn. He was pretty sure the "Where are we going?"

"Where Alex Blunt is. What are you, deaf? Don't you realize your job is taking care of him now?" Fox winced as he was shoved back down to the floor. "I didn't tell you that you were allowed to move," Katakana added.

"Sorry for breaking your concentration," Fox sneered. Katakana didn't respond, except to swing his foot to kick Fox viciously in the face. Fox couldn't help but groan as he reached his hand towards his face. He needed to try and see if all of his teeth were still there. Before he got a chance, however, Katakana yanked his arm back, causing Fox to cry out in pain as he heard his arm snap. Fox tried to yank his arm back, ready to attempt to overpower Katakana if he could, but Katakana's grip was too firm, and all Fox ended up doing was injuring himself.

"I said you weren't supposed to move without my permission," Katakana snapped, his voice tense. Fox visibly winced, his facial features tightening, as his hands were roughly forced closer together, and he felt the handcuffs snap, once more, around his wrist. "Let's get this crystal clear, right now. You don't move, you don't talk, you don't speak without my permission. I'd like you not to get killed."

The last words thoroughly confused Fox. _What the hell did Katakana mean_?

* * *

><p>Alex Rider glared at Ian, wishing desperately that his eyes could be like daggers and kill the man. Normally, Alex would have been making a bigger stink, being dragged along in the car like this, but he knew it was pointless. He was surprised Ian hadn't commented; he knew his uncle "liked him better when he was subdued," meaning that he liked him better when he was drugged.<p>

The trip had gone by without much incident, much to Alex's relief, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was punished for some reason or another.

Alex knew his uncle was a psychopath who wouldn't be bothered by hurting him.

_Flashback_

"_You'd better get cleaned up," his mother said, looking at him. Alex glanced at her. He was twelve years old, and was slowly learning his way around the world. He had just survived his first year at boarding school, even though it had been awful. _

_Alex had been greeted by his father, who gave him a lovely welcome home present: a beating. He'd been viciously hit, kicked, and beaten until Alex had thought he would either pass out or die from the pain._

_Unfortunately, he'd done neither. Alex still bore the welts of that beating. _

"_Your uncle is coming over. He wants to see you." _

_Shit, Alex thought, that wasn't good._

_That night, Ian had beaten Alex unconscious – again – and had taken him on a week-long car trip throughout the UK. He claimed that had been on Alex's father's command, but Alex hadn't been sure. _

Alex shivered, fighting the memories. That had been a week from hell that he didn't care to repeat. He was worried that Ian was acting on his own, and that his father was acting separately.

He could just imagine the nightmare that was going to happen if that was actually was true.

Ian greeted Alex in the room. "Hey, little friend," he said, "It's time we had some fun."

Alex ignored him in favor of finding out the answer to his question. "Where's Dad?" he asked.

"You mean Sir?" Ian said, looking at Alex pointedly. The last time he had called Alex father, instead of sir, he'd been beaten.

"No, I mean Alan Blunt," Alex said sarcastically. He winced as he was roughly slapped on the face. Ian's sweaty palm hit him again, and Alex backed up slightly.

"I don't remember saying you could talk or move," Ian growled as he grabbed Alex's shoulder. He roughly twisted Alex's arm, causing the teenage boy to cry out in pain.

"Let me go," Alex rasped out. "Aren't you worried Dad'll be mad about you hurting me?" He really didn't care what his father thought; he just wanted to try and get Ian's mind off of hurting him, which Ian seemed to be hyper-focused on.

"I hardly care what your father thinks," Ian snapped. He grabbed Alex by the chin and forced the teen to look at him. "He's not coming for you, little Alex."

Alex swallowed hard, his Adam's apple visible. "What do you mean?" He demanded, glaring at Ian. He felt his jaw drop open once Ian released it, and he rubbed it gingerly.

"What I mean is I own you now."

Those words sent chills of terror down Alex's spine. His fear was true. Ian had double-crossed his father, and had taken him away somewhere where his father would never find him.

Damn. He wasn't sure whether he would prefer Ian or Blunt. At least with his father, he knew what to expect. Ian was nothing but a wild card.

Right now, he would strongly have preferred neither.

* * *

><p>"Wolf, you okay, man?" Snake asked, glancing in concern at Wolf. The leader looked absolutely exhausted.<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine," Wolf responded, glaring at him.

Alan Eppes glanced at the two. "I think you look more to me like you're going to collapse than that you're okay," he remarked.

"Thanks. Makes me feel appreciated," Wolf said.

"Wolf, I know how you feel, but you're of no use to Fox and Alex if you keep pushing yourself," Snake responded. He checked his watch. "Wolf, it's ten at night. Come on. Let's let Eagle take this shift, since he's so busy talking to the sergeant about his theory, and then we'll come back tomorrow."

"Okay," Wolf responded, looking a little unsteady on his feet.

Snake did a double-take, glancing back at his comrade. Wolf _never_ gave in that easily when it came to hospital care, ever, even if it didn't involve going to the actual hospital. "You sure you're okay?"

"Maybe not," he responded. At Snake's glare, he quickly amended. "Come on, Snake, it's not like I'm going to roll over and die, man. I just need a bed."

"Which for you, means you're about ready to roll over and die," Snake said. "Come on. I'm driving."

Charlie smiled as he watched the two walk off. "Wolf reminds me of Don," he responded. "He reminds me a lot of Don, actually. Kind of like the British version of Don."

"How so?" Alan asked, guessing at what his son meant, but wanting to know anyway.

"Oh, you know – the I'm a hardass team leader, and I put the entire team before me," Charlie said. He glanced uncomfortably at his watch. "Eagle – that's the redhead, by the way, Dad – he thinks that the dude they were being held captive with is in it from the start."

"Yeah?" Alan asked.

Charlie nodded, taking a swig of his coffee. "Yeah. By the way, speaking of sleep, it's our turn. Remember?" He said. Normally, he would have been happy to work through the night, but the computer was running his calculations and there was nothing more he could do.

"Yeah, yeah," Alan said as he and Charlie headed for the garage. "So, about Eagle's theory?"

"Eagle said that he thinks that Katakana gave away where Fox and Alex were going. He said that he thinks that Katakana also told Alan Blunt about where the K-Unit was, and that's why they were captured so quickly."

Alan nodded. "It certainly makes sense, unfortunately," he said as the two stepped into the parking garage.

Charlie winced as he heard a noise – a noise that sounded like the distinct sound of a bullet. "Dad, get down!" he screamed, knocking his father to the floor. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Get the hell back in the building, and get Don out here, now!"

"What about you? Where are you going?" Alan demanded.

Two more bullets fired back. Snake leapt out, firing two bullets at the men.

"To help," Charlie responded, grabbing the gun that had been tossed towards the ground. "Go, Dad, get Don!"

* * *

><p>Charlie hated guns and weapons. He hated using them.<p>

But as Don eloquently put it, there was a time and a place for everything, and if there was ever a time or a place, this was it. Charlie made a mental note to thank his bother for all the weapons training he went through.

Snake fired at the men, and then, seeing something move in the corner of his eye, turned towards Charlie, the mathematician. He had to practically restrain himself from firing a bullet in surprise. "What the hell are you doing? Get back inside!"

"Where the hell is Wolf?" Charlie demanded, ignoring Snake's question. The firing had stopped, meaning the bad guys were either leaving or they were out of ammo.

"Wolf is right –" Snake stopped upon seeing Wolf's still body on the floor about a hundred yards away. "Damn it!" Snake said, racing over to Wolf's side. "I sent him inside to get help…" he bent down towards Wolf's arm, and felt for his pulse.

There was none.

* * *

><p>Challenge:<p>

Is Ian acting on his own, apart from Blunt?

Will Wolf survive, or is he dead, and has he given his life for Alex Rider?

Review!

A/N: Remember, if you kill me, I can't update!


	25. Chapter 25

Alex took a deep breath as he looked around the room. So far, he'd seen nothing that could help him escape. It made sense; Ian Rider wasn't stupid. Still, Ian would have been counting on Alex to be docile, like before. He didn't realize that now Alex had hope, he had a reason to escape. He didn't realize that Alex belonged to the sergeant, now, Tyler, his _father_, not him.

Even if Alex died – which he hoped and prayed he would not – at least he would die knowing that someone loved him, a feeling that he had never had before in his life. He forcefully exhaled, breathing deeply as he once again scanned the walls. It didn't matter who he belonged to biologically, by DNA. John and Helen Rider had claimed him; Ian had claimed him; his mother had claimed him. (His father had always done his best to deny his presence, until now.)

Alex wasn't quite sure what his father's sudden interest in his existence was. His father had only been interested in him before to torture him, something that Alex didn't like. He suspected his father's interest in him now was for the same reason, but he couldn't be sure. He was sure now, however, that his father was working separately from Ian; Ian obviously had his own plans – but what?

Whatever they were, they obviously were not good. Ian never been interested in him for good reasons before – so why was he interested in him now? Knowing that could either really help Alex's case or it could really hurt it. Alex sighed as he glanced at the carpet, wondering who the guy who had been torturing him earlier was. Fox sure seemed to know him. Or he seemed to know Fox. Alex wasn't sure which.

The door opened again, and Ian appeared. "Just in case you got any idea about escaping," he responded. He set something on the floor, then pointed to the ground. "Lay down," he instructed.

"No," Alex replied. He wasn't going to listen to Ian, not if he could help it. He knew it was stupid, he knew it would only get him beaten up, but it was just not in his nature to randomly roll over and listen to someone, even despite the years of pain he'd suffered through.

Ian grabbed him by the shoulders, shoving him onto the ground. "Let me go!" Alex said, kicking out at him, trying to break free. He just wanted to go home, to be anywhere but this place. It didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.

"Shut up," Ian said. He kept a firm latch on Alex's hands as he reached for his black bag he'd left in the corner. "We need to get out of here before your father finds us."

That statement made it chillingly clear – Ian Rider was working on his own. That scared Alex. That meant that Ian wanted him, and Alan Blunt wanted him. Would there be no end to escape? He had to fight to keep the tears from coming down his face as his hands were roughly yanked behind his back.

If Ian was indeed working on his own, which obviously he was, that meant his biological father was coming to get him. When Ian was done, Blunt would no doubt kill him and then take Alex. Would there be any hope for Alex – ever?

After successfully handcuffing Alex, Ian released his grip. Alex was sure he would now have a bruise from where Ian had been grabbing him.

"We're going to have a lot of fun, Alex," Ian responded to Alex's glare as he started to tie Alex's feet. "You caused me a lot of trouble, and I want my revenge."

"Oh, really?" a second voice demanded coldly. "You won't be getting it," the voice continued.

_Oh, God, _Alex thought, it was his father.

One way or another, he was surely going to die.

* * *

><p>"No!" Snake said, shaking his comrade roughly. "Wolf, dammit, wake up! Joshua, don't you dare do this to me, damn-it, you promised!" If Charlie had been thinking more clearly, he would have realized it was the first time that Snake had actually called his leader by name.<p>

"We need a medic!" Charlie yelled, waving his hands at the incoming medic. Thank God they were so close to downtown. The bullets hadn't continued; whoever had fired must have left the crime scene. "Over here!" He shouted frantically.

"Charlie, get the hell out of here!" Don Eppes yelled, rushing to the scene, his gun drawn. He hadn't even bothered to put on his vest. Eagle and the sergeant followed him, becoming his back-up.

"Is Wolf okay, Snake?" the sergeant demanded, dropping to his knees.

"He's not breathing!" Snake said, raising his voice. The ambulance workers came in, racing their cot on the scene. "Damn it, Wolf, don't you dare do this, or I'm going to kill you!"

The ambulance worker knelt down and felt Wolf's body. "You check his pulse?"

"Nothing."

"Get me a shock pad over here!" the medic yelled towards another worker.

* * *

><p>It was ten hours later when a very somber group met in the office. Snake had gone with Wolf to the hospital, since he was a medical personal and could help, not hinder, in the ambulance. He was here now to give them news. Or at least, he would be in a few minutes.<p>

"You're driving me nuts," Don told Eagle, glancing at the SAS man. He seemed really upset. Don couldn't say he blamed him; one of his team members had just been shot, probably killed, and another was missing.

Eagle ignored Don in favor of slumping down in his chair. "You ever wonder if what we really do is worth it?" he asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Don asked. He was taken aback by Eagle's question.

"I mean, you know, protecting our countries? Defending them?"

Don wasn't sure how to take the question, so he just responded honestly. "All the time. You know which one Colby Granger is, right?"

Eagle nodded. "Yeah… how could I not?"

"He was undercover for two years, trying to fish out someone who was illegal in the DOJ. Long story short, we thought he was guilty when they arrested him; he wasn't. It was a hell of a long six weeks, he was proven innocent, but damn nearly died for our country," Don replied. "Do I ever wonder if it's worth it? Hell, yeah. Then I go home and look at my father, my brother, go to my brother's college campus, and remember that that's why I do it, so that they're kept safe."

The door opened then. Snake walked into the room, followed by Colby Granger, the one who they were just speaking about, the sergeant, and David Sinclair. From the grim look on Snake's face, Don had a bad feeling he knew exactly what the man was going to say.

"Wolf – Joshua – didn't make it."

* * *

><p>"Get off my son before I put a bullet in your brain," Alan Blunt said, stalking over to Ian. "I really must say thank-you for looking out for him for the time being, but I think that somewhere along the way you forgot that he was <em>my <em>child, not yours."

"Oh, yeah, your child, sense you care so much about him, right?" Ian sneered, standing up. "You just _now_ decide to start caring for him, after you get yourself arrested?"

Alex was half tempted to shout, _hey! Right here, you idiots!, _but refrained. He didn't want the attention of his father's gun drawn to him.

"I don't know whether I should leave you here for the cops to find, or shoot you now," Alan said as he leveled the gun at Ian. Alex was watching this out of the corner of his eye, careful to keep his nose firmly rested against the ground. He paused, carefully weighing his options mentally. Before Alex could say or do anything, a bullet fired, and Ian cried out. It only hit his shoulder, from what Alex could tell, but Ian went down, hard.

Alan grabbed his son by his shoulders, shaking him roughly as he dragged him. Ian looked like he was about to reach for his gun, but another bullet from Blunt stopped that. The door slammed shut, and Alex didn't protest as his father dragged him down the stairs.

"Don't ever say I don't care about you, Alex," he said. Alex glanced at the car behind his father's car; it was there behind him. "I just hurt someone else to protect you."

_Yeah, so you could torture me more, _he thought, but didn't dare say that out loud as he was roughly shoved into the back seat. The door was slammed shut.

"Do me a favor and take care of the body, okay?" was all he heard his father say before Alan Blunt got into the car and drive away.

* * *

><p>Katakana felt sick as he looked at Ian. The body was on the floor, clear as day. It was still warm. He checked the pulse, it was still there, the man was still breathing. <em>Shit,<em> it looked like his part of the mission was over. He flipped open his phone, dialing the all too familiar number, the American's version of 9-9-9 – 911.

* * *

><p>The EMTS had quickly taken Ian away to try and get him treated. Katakana had shouted that he was dangerous, but wasn't sure if he would be believed. Suddenly, the room flooded with FBI. He tried to scream that he was CIA, undercover in the SAS, but none of them listened. One, whose badge read EPPES, forced his hands behind his back and handcuffed him, reading him his Miranda rights.<p>

He wondered how long he would spend in jail before he could get someone from CIA to bail him out.

* * *

><p>Challenge:<p>

Is Katakana really CIA/SAS? If he is, is he good?

Is Ian dead?

How long will Alan get to spend with Blunt?

Can't wait for your reviews!


	26. Chapter 26

Katakana growled fiercely as he was handcuffed, knowing it was proper procedure, but wishing he'd never gone on this damn mission. Hell, he was CIA, wasn't he? He hoped that the Brits actually gave a shit about his employers; he'd once been tortured overseas when someone didn't think that he was telling the truth about working for the CIA. He thanked God he'd had the foresight too have two or three handlers this time.

He sighed as someone came into the room. Katakana could tell that the man was American, and at a second glance, could tell that the man was FBI. Good! Maybe the man would believe him. If he had to get arrested, at least he'd been arrested on American soil.

Even if the man didn't believe, he'd have to bust out of here, anyway. The people didn't realize how important it was to find Alan Blunt – and not just because of how he could kill Alex.

Taking a deep breath, the FBI agent sat down. "Don Eppes, FBI," he said. "I have some questions to ask you about your recent… _behaviors_. I know you screamed that you were CIA when my men were bringing you down. How the hell am I supposed to verify that? You were undercover in the SAS?" Don's voice clearly dripped sarcasm. It wasn't that Katakana didn't understand. He just needed Don to understand _him_.

"Like no American member has ever run a job overseas," Katakana snapped. "Listen, you don't understand. I have two handlers. Their names are Jacob White and Wright Smith. You can have them come up here and crap if you want. This whole op was well-documented."

"Yeah, right, so well documented I don't even get to know your code name," Eppes snorted, obviously not believing it. "Or your real name. Do you even have one of those? Or do you just hide under fake names?"

"I have a real name, but you're not getting it until you talk to my handlers," Katakana snapped. "For now, you can call me Katakana. And I've also done nothing wrong, so you can drop the whole damn self-righteous act."

"You sliced up a kid and terrorized someone else," Don said, obviously not buying his story. He hadn't left to call, and Katakana found himself growing worried.

"Okay," Katakana said, letting out a sigh. "Let me start from the beginning. You know Alan Blunt? Well, if you're looking for Alex Rider, you obviously do. What you don't know, my friend, is that Alan Blunt can be detrimental to the health of everyone here. Why do you think that is? Sure, he's likely to kill Alex and whoever he has taking care of him…"

"Why do you say he has someone taking care of Alex Rider?" Don asked, not missing the man's play on words. He still didn't believe him, although he knew that Colby Granger, who was watching the man and his conversation, would already be trying to track Katakana - is that what the man had called himself? - track his handlers down.

"Because there's no way he's going to care for that kid himself. Why do you think he had Ian Rider care for him before? He hated Ian Rider's guts, I'm willing to bet, but didn't want to have to do anything to care for the Rider kid. While Rider _is _important, you need to stop him for different reasons."

"Why's that?" Alex said.

"Because Alan Blunt's goal," Katakana said, "is to poison all of New York's water supply."

"Oh, yeah, poison the water supply, good one. How am I supposed to verify that story?" Don snorted.

"Look, if you'd call my handlers, this could go much quicker," Katakana snapped, "and it'd be a verifiable story too, dammit. But basically, Blunt wants to poison certain water supplies with some drug. He wants people to become addicted too it. Then he wants them to buy his supply. It's sick, it's hard to explain, and if you'd talk to one of my handlers, they can explain it a hell of a lot better than I could... especially since you won't listen to me."

## break ##

Alex swallowed hard as he looked nervously at Alan Blunt. Although grateful that Fox didn't seem to be anywhere near the vicinity (which hopefully meant that he'd been rescued), he was terrified of being left alone with Alan Blunt. The very thought of his father's lack of self-control made him shiver. The man wouldn't know what self-control meant if it had hit him in the face.

Taking in a breath, Alex opened the door of the car when his father opened his own door, and then released his seatbelt. His father was still talking on his cell phone, barking orders at somebody else. Alex groaned, and stretched, trying to eye his current, single parent, and assess how pissed off he was. Realizing his father's attention was divided and that he wasn't in his direct eyesight right now, Alex chose that second to take off, ignoring the fact that his father had confiscated his shoes in case he would try to do something like this.

His bare feet pounded the pavement, and he winced at the hot heat. He didn't blink, though, he just kept going, ignoring his father's pissed-off, ticked, murderous angry cry at him. Alex picked up his pace as the shouts continued, not even slowing at his father's threat of, "I'm going to kill your skimpy, white ass!"

Alex leapt onto the pavement, ready to try his break for freedom. Deep down, he knew he was going to get caught. He knew that he was going to be beaten by his father. His father was always bitter when, as his so-called blood relation usually put it, _"You antagonize me with this shit."_

Looking behind him, Alex winced; he'd forgotten how fast his father could run. Although in his mid forties, Blunt wasn't experiencing a middle aged crisis (although maybe some people would say he would by being willing to beat the shit out of his son, Alex didn't know). Alex kept going, his feet hitting the green, mushy grass. But it wasn't long before Alex had tripped over a stick of some sort and fallen into the mud.

"I'm going to kick your ass, you arrogant piece of shit!" With that Alan Blunt was right behind Alex. The teenager tried to push himself up to try again, but his hand ached and he found himself fumbling. He winced as he felt his hands yanked roughly behind his back, and he felt his hands being cuffed.

Damn. Alex knew that when his father brought out the gun, he was more than ready and willing to fight. Although, then again, his father liked to threaten him with a gun, and if Alex didn't know that his father's favorite hobby was taking recreational crack (although Alex suspected his father used crack for a lot more than just recreational reasons), he'd say it was his father pointing a gun at his face.

"Move," his father growled. Alex felt him slip his gun back into his pocket. The walk felt torturous, the heat of the day making the pavement burn against Alex's bare feet. His father wasn't gentle on his care, that was for sure. Actually, self-control was one other thing that Alex didn't think that his father was good with..

"You're not going to get away with this," Alex said, suddenly fueled with anger."The sergeant will find you."

"The sergeant couldn't find his way out of his own asshole if his head was stuck in it," Blunt responded, tightly twisting his son's arm behind his back as he saw someone move their way out of the shadows. He shoved his son inside roughly and closed the door. "Crawley, you home?" he demanded, greeting the new man. Alex drew in a breath as he saw the stranger for the first time in twelve years.

"Oh, so is this our new home?" Crawley said with a roll of his eyes. "I see you found your son. I saw him take a little sprint through the front yard."

"You could've helped, like shot him in the kneecap, or something," Blunt said, looking at his son in disgust.

"The last time I shot him, you made me take him to the hospital! Do you really think I want to go to that effort? He is _your _son, by the way. Oh, and our other prisoner's upstairs. I don't think we kidnapped him for much use, though. He hasn't talked yet."

An evil smile formed around Blunt's face. "I have an idea," he said, making Alex's blood run cold. Who was their other prisoner? And he never, ever liked his father's other ideas.

He was forced up the stairs. Not bothering to resist, useless since he was in handcuffs, he made his way up the stairs. Oh, God, he hoped that Crawley wouldn't get his hands on him again. While Crawley didn't usually physically torture him, he was much, much worse than Ian to be with… actually, come to think of it, Alex would rather spend his spare time with Ian than with Crawley, which was saying something.

Blunt shoved his only son into the first room, saying only, "By morning, you and your stupid-ass friend will talk." He didn't bother to take off Alex's handcuffs, and slammed the basement door shut.

Alex pushed himself up of the floor, spying the two cots. He sighed forcefully. As always, his father was prepared. He guiltily rose his eyes to meet the other member on the bed, the person who was probably going to get tortured because of him.

His blood ran cold at the sight of the still, yet breathing, figure.

It was Wolf – who everyone else, including Alex, after what Ian had told him, had thought to be dead.

CHALLENGES:

**THANKS TO SEKAI, FOR READING,** **AND** **FOR SamayouTamashi for her comments on the chapter, as well as the following challenges.**

What has Katakana really been up too? Is he good, or bad?

What happened to Ben/Fox?

Where has Wolf been, and what will happen to Wolf and Alex?


	27. Chapter 27

_Alex took a steadying breath as he looked out the window. He hated being locked up, but he really didn't have much of a choice today. Alex knew that his father was mad, but he wasn't sure what he'd done to make him this angry. He'd already been locked in the closet for more than a week, being let out only during certain times of the day to eat and use the bathroom. He hated it. He hated every frigging minute of it._

_Not that he'd ever let his father know that, though. The second he let his father know that, his father would use the closet punishment much more often._

_At age eleven, Alex Rider was very smart. He was smart enough to even sometimes, when he was lucky, outsmart Alan Blunt._

-end flashback-

Alex winced as he looked at Wolf. He reached down and slowly tied his shoe, trying to avoid looking at the figure as it moved on the bed.

"Alex," Wolf said as he pulled himself up. Wolf wasn't feeling that great himself, Alex guessed. He could see the black-and-blue marks up Wolf's arms. "You okay?" he asked.

_Do I dare answer him?_ Alex thought. He hadn't really liked Wolf over during training, but now his thoughts were changing. He sighed as he tried to remember the question. "I don't know," he answered honestly. He half expected Wolf to smack him – Ian always hated when he answered anything with I don't know.

-transition-

"That's a good answer. I don't know how I'm feeling, either," Wolf said. He'd watched the transcripts from Blunt's interviews. The bastard was a complete sicko and made Eagle's father look like he was kind and loving. He had laughed about his aggressive treatment towards Alex and had said he would always beat the kid anytime he'd said I don't know.

Alex looked at him, his face mirroring disbelief, and just snorted as he leaned against the corner. Wolf could see that he was still wearing a sling, which probably meant that his arm still hurt.

He felt bad for the kid, but unless they both got out of there, an event that didn't look like it would happen anytime soon, he didn't know what he could do.

"How's your shoulder?" Wolf asked as he pulled himself all of the way off the bed.

Cub glared.

It's going to be a long few days if he won't even TALK to me, Wolf thought with a frown. He sighed as he closed his eyes and rested against the wall. He shuddered, having a sudden flashback from when they were held hostage by the supposed NYPD officers.

Flashback

"Leave him alone!" Wolf demanded angrily. He would have pushed himself up and launched an attack on the man, even with his handcuffs; if not for the fact that Snake was glaring at him evilly, and the fact that he knew he'd probably be killed.

"Oh, you care for this one, now, do you?" the CIA officer sneered. He flickered his lighter in front of Fox's face, and Fox swallowed hard. He knew he couldn't show his fear of flames. It wasn't so much that he was scared of fire as he was scared of being burned. "I guess I'll mark him first," he said, pressing the lighter against Fox's elbow.

Fox couldn't help the scream that escaped from his lips as the officer burned him with the BIC lighter. He could feel the flame against his skin. It felt like hell – Fox didn't really know how else to put it. He couldn't even think as the pain rippled through his body. And then, without any warning, he was shoved to the ground.

"Take this as a lesson," the CIA man responded. "We can, and will, do anything to you. And that includes killing you. You're guilty until proven innocent, here, and good luck proving your innocence. It's never happened before." With that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Wolf's heart sank when he heard it lock shut.

End flashback

"You know," Wolf said as he made his way over to Alex, "It's okay to be scared."

Another glare, but this time, it was slightly less dark. "Like you ever are," Alex retorted. "And I can't be scared. If I show I'm scared to him, he'll eat me alive."

"I've been scared before," Wolf said with a shrug. "Did you ever get told what happened with the rest of us while Eagle was missing?"

"Why would I?" Alex said. He moved himself up on the bed, and Wolf sighed. It seemed that Alex had even less trust for people than Wolf himself did.

"We were looking for you," Wolf said.

"You mean you were looking for Eagle," Alex corrected with a quick shake of his head. "Nobody ever looks for me."

Wolf sighed. "No, we were looking for you, too. The sergeant made a team as soon as he realized what had happened."

"He can't!" Alex felt a chill run down his spine. "You can't tell my dad that, Wolf."

Okay… that was new… "I'm guessing that there's a reason behind this?" was all Wolf said.

Alex would have kicked him if he hadn't been so far away. "I was kidnapped once before. By my dad, he didn't tell my mom where we were going or anything. Mom got mad and sent a team after him. He beat me because he thought they were coming for me, not him."

"Sounds like a charming man," Wolf said, hoping a bit of sarcasm would calm Alex down. "I won't tell him."

Alex rolled his eyes and backed against the wall as the door opened. Wolf could clearly see him shiver as he saw the form of Alan Blunt.

* * *

><p>Eagle took a deep breath as he forcefully exhaled, pacing in place. He didn't feel very well at all. He wanted to be helping find Alex, but at the minute, he was overwhelmed with information.<p>

Wolf was dead.

Their teammate had given his life to protect his comrade, even though it had been this comrade who Wolf had so hated. Eagle took a sharp breath as he sat down on the couch, trying not to think about the past twenty-four hours.

He groaned as his father's voices flooded his head. "You're worthless. You'll be the death of me yet. If you're not the death of me, you'll be the death of someone you love. And…"

"Eagle?" Fox said. The man was next to him now. "Are you okay?"

"Do you think I'm okay?" Eagle snapped as he glared at Fox. "My team member just died, and it's my fault!"

"Hey, he was my team member too!" Fox snapped back before catching the second thing Eagle said. They still needed to work on finding Cub. The last thing they needed to do was muck around in, well, this. "And how the hell is it your fault?" he demanded, not missing those last words.

Eagle just stood up and moved towards the door, slamming the door on the stairs. Snake came over, looking at Fox's flushed face. "What's up?" he questioned, looking at Fox.

"Eagle thinks Wolf's death is his fault and just went down the stairs," Fox said.

Snake took a minute, pausing to see the tiredness in his comrade's eyes. "I'll go talk to him. You get some rest."

Fox was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

><p>Snake pounded down the stairs. He knew that normally Fox would have gone after Eagle, but Fox hadn't slept in the last 24 hours. It was time to get the man some rest.<p>

Besides, Snake had a good idea what was bothering Eagle. This – Eagle's disappearing, anyway – had only happened once before, and he had a pretty good idea what had triggered it. Eagle was rarely so expressive with his emotions, but Snake knew that he had to be troubled by the situation.

Not only was Alex's story bringing up some serious issues within his past, he had also just had a friend die. There was no doubt in Snake's mind that there was more there.

"Eagle?" he asked, seeing his friend leaning back against the wall.

"Just needed some air," his friend replied, but Snake could see how tense he was. Snake forced down his feelings about Wolf and turned to face his friend. Right now he was the team leader until they could get things straightened out.

"Eagle, this situation isn't your fault." Snake paused, wondering how much to say. Sometimes he wished he could read minds.

"It is." Eagle swallowed hard, and Snake knew he'd hit the nail on the head, so to speak. "It is my fault. I should have gotten help for Alex sooner. I should have stayed with Alex when he was kidnapped. I should have been kidnapped, not Alex. I should be dead, not Wolf!"

Snake ran a tired hand through his hair. He wished it wasn't raining outside. "Eagle, none of this is your fault. You told us the whole time that Alex was being abused. We should have listened sooner. You told Wolf as soon as you thought that the kid was being abused, right?"

"Yeah," Eagle said.

"That was absolutely not your fault. From what you told me, staying with Alex wasn't exactly your choice. And no, you should not be dead instead of Wolf, Eagle. Should Wolf have had to die? No. It's awful. We're all going to grieve for a time. Once, Wolf and I were talking about the most painful ways to die – during RTI training our first time, which was a pretty stupid way to pass the time, if you ask me! - and Wolf said he didn't care how he died, he just wanted to die serving our country. Or of old age."

Eagle nodded but he still looked uncertain. "So you don't hate me then," he said, and Snake could see him look a little bit more relieved.

"Eagle, I don't think anyone can hate you for too long. And no, I don't hate you," he added, knowing how that might come across to the man.

"Well, that's a relief," Eagle replied.

"This does not mean that you get to burn down my bed, though," Snake warned.

"Well, darn. There went that idea…" suddenly, Eagle trailed of, and Snake could practically see him thinking. "You know what?" he questioned.

"What?"

"I just thought of something. We need to talk to Katakana – he might know where Alex is!"

* * *

><p>Wow! Sorry for the long update. Hopefully people are still reading and reviewing. Your challenge:<p>

What did Eagle think of?

What is Alan going to do to Wolf and Alex?

I promise there will be more Alex in the next chapter. Every review, no matter how long, will be an extra 100 words towards the Alex/Blunt scene.

Enjoy!


	28. Chapter 28

Alex shuddered as he glanced at his father, who had suddenly appeared behind the door. If he didn't know his father better, he would almost say his father was supernatural of some sort. "Sorry," he said, rising instantly from the floor.

Wolf was instantly up as well. He'd been feigning sleep. He'd actually wanted to go to sleep but felt it would be better not to let his guard down. He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid it and would eventually succumb to unconsciousness, but had wanted to stay awake now.

"Take a seat." Alan Blunt slid the door closed and looked at the two of them. "You're probably wondering why I brought you here."

As if, Alex thought with a sudden snort. "Hardly. I'm just wondering why you brought him along. He doesn't have anything to do with it."

"You're going to need a caretaker eventually, aren't you?" Alan responded. "Someone to care for your wounds and make sure you don't die on me. Can't have that. Besides, it will be fun to have someone around my age."

"Why do you want someone around who is your age?" Wolf asked, speaking up for the first time. Alex and Alan both turned and walked towards him.

"No reason." Alan smirked at that. "You won't know for awhile. You won't need to know, so don't worry about that. In the meantime, though," he said, sneering at Alex, "We have business to discuss."

Alex swallowed hard. "We do?"

"Yes, we do."

"I'm missing something here," Wolf said. He could see Alex visibly swallow. "What business do you have?"

Alan abandoned Alex for the moment, finding it much more interesting to focus on Wolf instead. "You know exactly what business I have."

"Then you have business with me, too, don't you?" Wolf responded. He figured that Alan was still pissed about Alex telling on his abuse. "Because I'm the one who believed him. I'm the one who made him tell his story."

_Yeah, right_. Alex knew that wasn't true, but didn't say a thing. In a way it was true; he'd believed Eagle, who had believed Alex. But why was he taking the blame? It was a catch-22 that didn't make sense to Alex.

Alan Blunt turned away from Alex to look at Wolf. "You made my son talk to you. So you're the one who started this shit," he said. His voice was cold and chilled Wolf to the bones.

Wolf just shrugged. "So if you have a problem with Alex," he said, conveniently forgetting to mention that it was Eagle who made him talk, "You have a problem with me."

"Then I certainly have a problem with you." Alan made his way over towards Wolf and shoved the muscled man back on the bed. Wolf stepped back and slid onto the sheets.

_Nice going, Wolf. Piss off the crazy terrorist why don't you_? Alex thought, exhaling forcefully as he closed his eyes.

Wolf pulled himself up on the bed a little. "Alex," Alan said, turning towards his son, "It's time you learned a lesson in how to torture someone effectively for information."

_Shit. That was so not what he wanted to hear, _Alex thought as he looked at Wolf. What could he do? He wasn't about to learn how to torture anyone. And especially not a K-Unit member who had helped him through so much already. Even if he thought that Wolf was a jackass that was no reason to torture the guy.

"You're crazy if you think I'm helping you," Alex said, steeling himself with false bravado.

"That's fine. You can watch. Why don't you take a seat on that chair there?" Alan said as he shoved his son towards the brown chair.

Alex winced but did as his father ordered. He knew that resisting would cause him to pay a higher price. He was just wondering how they could get out of this without seeing Wolf's skin chopped to pieces.

"You know," Alan said, "I know they teach you Resistance to Interrogation at Brecon Beacons, don't they?"

"And what if they do?"

"Then you'll be fun to break." Alan's smile made Alex feel like throwing up. "So… Tell me. What's your name?"

Wolf smiled. "Go to hell."

"Now, now. I'd rather you didn't use such language in front of my son." Wolf was sitting against the brown bedframe. Alex was sitting on a chair about a foot or two away from the bed. Alan grabbed Wolf's arm and smiled as he lifted up his short-sleeved shirt. "Tell me, do you think that the sergeant would like to see you covered in blood? Do you think he'd freak out about that? Do you think he'd like pictures?"

"He's seen worse," Wolf responded. He would have shrugged if he could have, but Alan was gripping Wolf's arm so tightly he could hardly move. He brought up the knife and rested it against Wolf's skin.

"Well, then we'll just have to make him scared," Alan said.

The torture session lasted for nearly half an hour, with Alan demanding to know Wolf's name. Wolf kept telling him no. It wasn't that he was so much worried about Alan getting his name, but he knew that once Alan got one thing from him, he would get a lot more from him.

"Stop it!" Alex finally screamed, seeing the blood dripping down Wolf's arm. Wolf's arm was now marred with various deep-cuts that were dashed all over. "Stop hurting him. He didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh, but that's the fun of it." Alan smiled as he released his grip on Wolf's neck and turned back to Alex, grabbing his son by the chin. "He stole you away from me," he said with a growl, "And that's the worst thing he could have done." Alex was sent back to the floor by one of Alan's punches.

"We're moving tonight," Alan said finally. He smiled, touching the blood on Wolf's arm. Wolf pulled away, and Alan's hand was covered in the blood. He took Wolf's blood and used it to trace a line on Alex's face. Alex shivered and pulled away, crying out when Alan pinned him against the wall.

"Be ready to move or I swear that I will kill you both and hang you upside down." With that, Alan stormed out of the room, leaving Wolf covered in blood and Alex terrified.

* * *

><p>Eagle slid across the seat from his former friend and stared him in the eyes. Don Eppes, head of the FBI Special Crimes Unit, leaned back against the wall, watching to see where Eagle would take this conversation. "So you worked with Alan Blunt."<p>

Katakana shifted back comfortably. "I already told you I didn't work with him. I worked for him only as an undercover agent. My true duty lies within the CIA."

"How long were you serving within Brecon Beacons?" Eagle asked. "I know you weren't there the whole time."

"I did come in late. You can ask the sergeant for the exact details."

"I know I can ask the sergeant, but I'm asking you. _What day did you come in_?" Eagle pressed.

"I came in about two weeks after you did."

"Right when Cub stayed there, huh?" Eagle said. His voice was laced with disgust. "You were put there by Alan Blunt."

"Ya think?" Katakana said with a roll of his eyes.

"Why were you chosen for the mission to help track Cub down?"

"Because I cared about him. Look, I'm the good guy here. Don't patronize me like this. Go after Alan Blunt – he's the piece of shit you really should be concerned about."

"Yeah, I'm trying to. That's why I need to talk to you. So, when you called for help because Fox was bleeding, did you have an idea of where Alan was going to go next?" Don raised his eyebrows. If Eagle wasn't a British citizen, he would consider hiring him for the Special Crimes Squad. He had good interrogation skills.

Katakana leaned forward. "You going to call the CIA if I do that?"

"Already done," Don said. He stepped forward and leaned into the seat. "They said they never heard of anyone with your name, the code name you gave me, or the man who was in charge of the project. So why don't you try again?"

Katakana's figure slumped down. "It was worth a try," he said with a tired sigh. "You know, I did try and help Fox. I didn't want him to die."

"It wasn't really worth a try, Katakana! We wasted time and research to figure out if we'd have to save your sorry ass. Maybe if we hadn't wasted that time, Wolf wouldn't have been killed and we'd have found Alex already. Do you know any other places within America that Alan Blunt owns or would have access too?" Eagle said. He crossed his arms and waited for Katakana's reply.

* * *

><p>Challenges:<p>

So, what will Katakana's reply be?

Will Wolf and Alex be moved, or will they manage to escape before then? If they are moved, where will they be moved? How much longer will Alan be able to hold them hostage?


	29. Chapter 29

Alex took a deep, shuddering breath as Wolf wrapped the ace bandage around his arm. "It hurts," he said, hoping his voice didn't sound like he was whimpering. He also hoped that father didn't hear him. The last time Alex had complained… he pushed that thought to the back of his head.

"I'm sorry," Wolf responded, even though Alex sensed that he wasn't really sorry. Alex wasn't bothered, though; he knew that Wolf had to bandage his arm or it would quickly get infected and heal incorrectly. "He shouldn't have broken your arm, Alex."

Shrugging halfheartedly, Alex responded, "He's done it before."

"That doesn't make it right," Wolf replied as he finished with the ace bandage. He maneuvered towards the back of the room and Alex could see him fish a sling out of the kit.

"Doesn't mean he'll stop," Alex whispered, hoping that Wolf couldn't hear him. He took a step back when Wolf approached him with the sling. "I can't wear that."

"Alex, you don't have a choice," Wolf responded. "Well, okay, you do have a choice, but look at me, Alex. Do you want your arm to heal incorrectly? Because then you can leave it without a sling. While I'm on medical doctor, I know enough about first aid to know that your chances of retaining full –"

"Okay, okay, I'll wear it," Alex grumbled, knowing that he wasn't going to get out of it. He was surprised to hear Wolf protest. He hated wearing a sling; it made him have very limited range of motion.

Alex didn't like having a limited range of motion in his arm. It made him feel like he couldn't move his arm properly and would be less able to block his father's blows. Still, Wolf was right; he did want his arm to heal correctly. Breathing a heavy sigh, Alex tried to remain positive about the situation, not that there was much that he could find to be positive about.

"Are you okay?" Wolf asked him as he slipped a few of the first aid supplies they would most need in his own pocket. He hadn't missed Alan Blunt's words that they would be moving tonight, and knew that they would need some first aid supplies. He sincerely doubted that they would be found in their current location.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Alex snapped back, then instantly felt sorry that he had said anything. Wolf was only trying to help. He couldn't bite his head off like that. Or, at least, he hoped Wolf was only trying to help.

"Okay, no, you don't. I guess I meant, 'you aren't about to die on me anytime soon, are you?'" Wolf questioned, raising his eyebrow. Alex could see him shift nervously and guessed that the SAS man was nervous about asking the question twice.

"I've had worse," Alex mumbled. He dropped onto the bed as the door opened.

"Doesn't make it right," Wolf muttered, glancing at the form of Alan Blunt, who was accompanied by someone else who Wolf didn't know. Wolf saw no signs of recognition on Alex's face, so he guessed he didn't know, either.

"Oh, look, they're all ready for transport, Joseph," Alan Blunt said. Alex flinched at his tone of voice. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong, but for the life of him, Alex couldn't figure out what.

"That's good. Should I drug them?"

Alan rolled his eyes. "Do you want them to escape halfway across the country?"

"Do you?" The other man returned.

"Just drug them to sleep."

Alex exchanged a glance with Wolf. This wasn't going to be good.

"You don't need to drug us," Wolf said. Alex glanced at him; his voice was deceivingly calm. "I promise you that we won't try anything."

"And why should I believe anything you say?" Alan returned. It was clear to Alex that he was dead set on drugging the two. That didn't comfort Alex at all, but he was far too worried about the consequences of opposing his father to stand up to him.

"Look, I want what's best for Alex," Wolf started, only to be interrupted by the infamous Alan Blunt.

"And you think I don't?" Alan blunt snapped. He reached out and smacked Wolf in the face, causing Wolf's head to snap back. Alex flinched and moved away from the two, not wanting to be caught in the middle of their argument.

"I never said that," Wolf reminded him, even though Alex knew he thought Alan Blunt was the parent from hell, and that was putting it politely. "I just think it would be better if for the transport we weren't drugged."

With that statement, Joseph prepared the needle. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just drug Alex to sleep right now," he responded, "and then drug you into the afterlife accidentally."

"Well, you shouldn't drug me into the afterlife accidentally because I know that Alan Blunt wants me around to care for Alex," Wolf said, his voice even-tempered. Alex was impressed, he'd expected Wolf to punch the man or something, already. Alex certainly felt like doing it; he just knew he wouldn't be able to do so. "Plus, I'm allergic to almost every drug. I know you don't care much about my safety, but I bet you wouldn't want my vomit on your carpet."

"And why not Alex?" the man asked, maneuvering closer to Alex, where he held the needle against Alex's arm.

"Because, my friend, should you drug Alex, I will not cooperate, and you don't want to see the full force of my anger unleashed." Wolf smiled at that, and Alex gulped, wondering just what the man was capable of.

"There are two of us and one of you," Alan reminded him patiently. Alex flinched and glanced up. His father could be _patient_? That was certainly new.

"Yes, but I've trained for SAS for several years while you have had a boring desk job and been in the slammer," Wolf reminded him. Alex swallowed hard. Joseph pocketed the needle.

"Fine. We won't drug you. You're right; I don't care about your safety, but I do care about my carpet," Alan responded. "Joseph, tie them up and place them in the van. I promised we'd leave tonight, and I am a man of my word."

_A sick, sick man of your word, _Alex thought shakily as he followed Joseph down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Katakana looked up at Eagle. "Look, I don't understand why you have a problem with me. I tried to help Alex."<p>

"If you tried to help Alex, why is he still missing?" Eagle asked evenly, sliding into his seat. He had a feeling this was going to be a long cat and mouse game.

"I didn't say I helped him that _much_."

"Look," Don Eppes said, breaking the conversation, "You're on American soil. We know you're American born. You betrayed your country. You know what that is? Treason."

"I told you I was CIA!" Katakana said, rising from his chair.

"Sit," Don ordered, "or I walk out of here and send you down to a prison and forget you exist."

Katakana glanced nervously at Eagle, then sat down. "We know you're not CIA, Katakana. Clearly you're not SAS either. So… _who are you_? And, don't think I still haven't noticed you haven't answered my first question."

"I don't even know who I am anymore," Katakana said. "Go ahead and send me down to the worst prison you've got, Mr. FBI, I've been through it all before."

"But do you want to do it again?" Eagle asked. He knew that he and Don were playing a version of 'nice cop, bad cop' and was happy to play the bad cop.

"Look, whatever, I don't care what happens to me." Katakana sighed very slowly, and Eagle knew that they would have to track down exactly where he came from. "Give me a piece of paper."

"Why?" Don asked coldly.

"So that I can write down some places where I think Alan Blunt may go. I don't care about going to prison, but I'd rather not get the death sentence."

With that, Eagle wordlessly tore out a piece of paper from his notebook, and Katakana hastily scribbled down a few addresses.

"You're forgetting to mention that you betrayed your country and you killed a British government agent," Don Eppes said. "We appreciate your information, but I can't and won't guarantee that you won't get a death sentence."

"But—" Katakana started, only to be interrupted by Eagle.

"Look, because of you, one of my best friends is dead. The sergeant's kid, who he legally adopted, may never be found alive, and if he is found alive, he may never be seen again. You betrayed your country – no, you betrayed two countries. Sure, you got help for Fox, but that was only to make yourself look good. I am going to make sure they fry you alive."

With that, Eagle turned and left the room.

* * *

><p>Wow! An update! Finally!<p>

Challenges:

What is Wolf's plan? Does he have one? Will he attempt to get him and Alex out of there alive by himself? Or will he call for backup at the next opportunity?

Will Alex be able to help Wolf with his plan should he choose to do so?

Where are Snake and Fox?

Is Katakana good, or bad? Will his information check out and provide the team with a lead? Or will he be lying? When will K-Unit realize Wolf is still alive?


	30. Chapter 30

"I hate traveling in the back of a U-Hall," Wolf muttered as he attempted to stand up for the third time and failed.

"Yeah, well, meet my father's standard way of traveling." Alex slumped down against the wall as he closed his eyes. Wolf saw him holding onto his arm, and Wolf sighed, knowing that he had to be in pain. Unfortunately, there was nothing that Wolf could do.

"How many times have you traveled by U-hall?"

"Oh, only about two or three. Normally he prefers to stuff me in the back of a trunk." Alex winced as he used his good arm to brush the hair out of his eyes.

Wolf smiled grimly. "You need a haircut, kid," he responded.

Alex shrugged. "My father hasn't gotten me anything I needed since… I don't know," he whispered. Wolf could see the kid starting to retreat back into himself again and sighed, wishing that he could be of _some_ help, but knowing that he would be pretty much useless with all things medical.

"You're forgetting something, Kid," Wolf remarked, a thought running through his head. Alex blew the hair out of his eyes and looked at him.

"Alan Blunt isn't your father, Alex. The sergeant is. He may not be related to you, but he adopted you legally and he cares about you. That makes him more of a father than Alan Blunt ever was in my book."

Alex broke out in the first smile Wolf had seen on him since they had both been abducted. "Overstatement of the year award," he muttered.

Wolf smiled back. "Rest, kid. I got this shift."

Alex lowered his back against the wall of the U-hall and slept.

* * *

><p>"I hate computers," Eagle grumbled as he paced restlessly while Snake and Don worked on making sure that the addresses Katakana had given were actually legitimate so that they didn't waste manpower by breaking down doors that didn't even exist. The first one was in Ohio; Don had called a swat team for that one.<p>

The second one was in Oklahoma City.

The third one was extremely close to New York, and that was where Don Eppes said they were headed. To the Bronx. It would be interesting, to say the least.

"You'll have to borrow our gear," Don said apologetically to Eagle and Snake as they logged off of the computer. They just nodded. The SAS was adaptable. You had to be in law enforcement.

Fox was coming, too. Katakana was staying behind with his lawyer. They had found out that his real name was Michael Gladstone and he was wanted by the CIA for treason – before he'd ever joined the SAS. He was going to have a hard time talking his way out of that one, Eagle thought.

As the SAS men geared up in the locker room, Eagle voiced what they were all feeling. "I wish it wasn't too late to save Wolf," he said.

"We all wish it wasn't too late to save him," Fox responded, "but we can't focus on that now. If we focus on who we can't save, it will destroy us from focusing on who we can save – Alex."

"You sound like a walking psychology textbook," Snake muttered as he tied on the last of his shoes, choosing to remain quiet throughout the entire conversation.

"It's payback for all the times you sound like a walking medical textbook, my dear." With that, Fox lifted the FBI bullet proof vest over his head. "Feels weird wearing this."

"Just pretend you're an American," Eagle said with a smirk. "We do that all the time back at camp."

Fox and Snake turned to stare at him. "We do?"

"Well, you guys don't. I always pretended to be James Bond. Wait, was he British or American?"

Snake responded to Eagle's question by slapping him on the back of the head. "Don't call me 'my dear', Fox. I _will _pay you backfor that one later," he added.

"Oh, I'm scared," Fox retorted as he danced out the room. His mission was complete. He had gotten his team-mates to stop thinking about their fallen comrade. They would have to mourn for him later. If they mourned for him now, it would distract them from their current mission, which he knew that Wolf would not want.

## break ##

The SAS and the police were about two minutes from making their way inside when Eagle heard a car pull up. "Snake, did you hear that?" he hissed, pointing over towards the lone U-Hall that was there.

"That could be him. Fox, cover for us," Snake ordered, following Eagle to check on the unknown, mysterious vehicle. Fox nodded and kept his attention focused on the task at hand.

Slowly, Alan Blunt stepped out of the car. Eagle's mouth dropped open. He hadn't expected that the man would be so stupid as too –

"I see you over there!" Alan Blunt yelled. Eagle and Snake glanced at each other. Eagle raised his hands, not reaching for his gun. Snake, on the other hand, gripped his gun firmly and kept it pointed right at Alan Blunt.

"Take it easy, Mr. Blunt," Eagle responded. "We don't want to hurt you." _Lies. They just didn't want to hurt him until they knew that Alex was okay._

"Yeah, that's what they all say." Suddenly, before Eagle could register what was happening, Alan Blunt had drawn his pistol and fired a shot. Eagle was standing right next to the spot where he fired and the bullet ricocheted off the pavement. Not even waiting to announce 'FBI', since Alan Blunt had known who they were, Snake took the shot and fired directly into Alan Blunt's heart, ending the man's life instantly.

Eagle felt for his pulse and swore when he found the man was dead. "You may have just killed our best shot at finding Alex!" he shouted. A few FBI agents had heard and were moving closer to them.

"Yeah, well, he was just about to kill you, too! Did you want me to have him shoot you?"

Eagle swore something under his breath and stalked over to the back of the u-hall, a plan forming in his mind. The back of the U-hall opened easily enough, and once they were able to see, Eagle gasped at what was inside. He knew from Snake's echoing cry of shock that he had seen the same thing.

It was Wolf and Alex – and Wolf was alive.

## break ##

Challenges:

So what happens next for Katakana? Do you think he's all bad, or do you think he still might have a little bit of good in him?

Do you think it's finally over with Alan Blunt?

What will happen to the SAS men and Alex now?

Thanks for all your reviews; you are awesome!


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: So here it comes, Some Rich Man's Son is finally closed. Be sure to look at my other wonderful stories for some good reading! Also, check out the profile Writers4All where I am co-authoring a story with Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur. Thanks for hanging on for the ride!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Updated disclaimer: **The original ideas and characters pertaining to this story are MINE, and I will NOT allow them to be posted on public venue without** permission. But ask - I don't bite!

Without further drama, the conclusion of SRMS.

* * *

><p><em>"Take it easy, Mr. Blunt," Eagle responded. "We don't want to hurt you." Lies. They just didn't want to hurt him until they knew that Alex was okay.<em>

_"Yeah, that's what they all say." Suddenly, before Eagle could register what was happening, Alan Blunt had drawn his pistol and fired a shot. Eagle was standing right next to the spot where he fired and the bullet ricocheted off the pavement. Not even waiting to announce 'FBI', since Alan Blunt had known who they were, Snake took the shot and fired directly into Alan Blunt's heart, ending the man's life instantly._

_Eagle felt for his pulse and swore when he found the man was dead. "You may have just killed our best shot at finding Alex!" he shouted. A few FBI agents had heard and were moving closer to them._

_"Yeah, well, he was just about to kill you, too! Did you want me to have him shoot you?"_

_Eagle swore something under his breath and stalked over to the back of the u-hall, a plan forming in his mind. The back of the U-hall opened easily enough, and once they were able to see, Eagle gasped at what was inside. He knew from Snake's echoing cry of shock that he had seen the same thing._

_It was Wolf and Alex – and Wolf was alive._

## Chapter 30 ##

So that was it, then. Like that, with a bang, Alex's father was dead. It didn't seem fair. He'd put the K-Unit through such unmeasurable amount of pain. Personally, even Snake the medic would have loved to have seen him suffer in prison for what he'd done to Alex, but that just wasn't an option because he was DEAD.

But that was hardly their focus. Wolf was alive, and right now, that was what mattered. He had been rushed off to surgery. He'd been born with the curse of having O blood, and needed desperately some of the same type. Thankfully, both Eagle and Hawk, another SAS member, shared the same blood type, and volunteered to offer help with the transfusions. It had taken eight hours of touch-and-go surgery to help patch up Wolf's wounds. The man had been beaten up much more than he'd looked.

Still, Wolf was alive. And that was a positive thing.

Oh, yes. And Alex was alive, too. Once the sergeant stopped muttering about he was going to salt and burn Alex's father's body for what he'd done to his son and one of SAS's best leaders, he got himself in gear, demanding that he only get the best care for Alex Rider.

The hospital had not been pleased to see the cuts and bruises on Alex and had questioned the sergeant about them, but had shut up once he'd pulled rank and started off on a tangent about how Alex had been kidnapped and had been rescued and that there were "better damn things they could do with their time instead of insinuating that he was a child abuser."

Now, Snake was at Wolf's bedside, waiting non-too-patiently for Wolf to wake up. He sighed as he looked at his teammate. He looked so listless, sleeping like that. He was used to his unit leader barking orders, not going to sleep until the last person was done, and now... this. He sighed and let out a long breath.

"Wha?" his boss asked as he blinked awake. "Snake? Wh'r you doing here? Did he hurt you, too?"

"...Wolf!" Snake said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank God you're okay. You had us all scared witless."

"What happened? Where am I?" Wolf blinked twice before he realized that he was in the hospital. "Oh, thank God. Where is Alan Blunt? Someone please tell me he's dead."

"He's dead," Snake said with a nod, "thank God right? I mean that SOB..." Snake let out a frustrated sigh. "Thank God you're okay! We thought you were dead, Wolf!"

"Yeah, he pulled a nice one with that didn't he?" Wolf snapped. He winced. "Sorry. Headache."

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Snake said as he moved back to the nurse's button. Wolf only groaned.

"Great, thanks Snake, because I want them to drug me back to sleep so much," Wolf said.

Snake rolled his eyes.

Wolf frowned. "Eagle. Alex. Everyone else-"

"Is fine," Snake reassured him. "Nobody got shot or anything. Well, except for Alan Blunt. He's kind of dead."

"Kind of dead?"

"Okay, he is dead," Snake corrected himself. "Sorry for tripping up on the technicalities there."

Wolf rolled his eyes and coughed something that sounded like 'kind of dead.' "Right. What happens to Alex now?"

"The sergeant adopted him, remember? He'll take care of him now, make sure that he gets the care that he needs."

"That's good," Wolf said with a sleepy yawn as the nurse came in. He winced. "Damn it, Snake, why'd you have to call in the nurse? You're a medic, can't you check me out?"

Snake smirked. Things were getting back to normal.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Six months later, and everyone was recovering nicely. Wolf was back to SAS field duty as K-Unit's commander after a two-week hospital stay. Snake and Eagle had personally been impressed that all the nurses had been left alive during this hospital stay. Wolf had been even worse than Alex. He counted down the days until he was out, making sure that he didn't do anything wrong, and trying to follow the doctor's orders as little as possible while still following the doctor's orders.

Alex had recovered nicely, despite his physical and mental trauma that he had been through. The top of the line psychologist that the sergeant had hired probably had something to do with that. That, and the fact that the sergeant had adopted him. Snake had more than once shuddered to think what would have happened had someone unskilled taken over the custody of Alex Rider.

Now, they were over at the sergeant's house. Some of them were sipping on beer, some on soda - the man may have been flexible but he was not letting Alex get away with drinking alcohol. Not that Alex was pushing the matter after seeing what alcohol could do.

Konata had been arrested for crimes against the state after it had been found out that the undercover operation he'd been running was only a ruse to get closer to Alex for Alan Blunt. Alan Blunt was dead, and had been killed. His salary and savings had gone into a trust fund for Alex to use when he turned twenty-one.

Long story short, everyone was recovering from the ordeal. Snake almost thought they were mostly better people for it. Although really, they could have done without thinking that Wolf was dead. That was a little much.

"Come _on_, Alex," Wolf said as he sipped his beer and passed the poker card to Eagle. "You never did tell me if u-halls were a usual method of transportation for your father."

Alex rolled his eyes. "No, no. He only did that when you were around. He wanted to show you the best way of transportation possible. Me? He just threw me in the trunk of the car."

"Your father was a real charmer, Cub," Eagle said as he passed the poker card back to Wolf. Wolf and Eagle were playing against Fox and Snake. Cub was just watching. "You never did tell us what happened to your arm."

"...Oh. You mean the skateboarding accident?" Alex asked.

"That wasn't really a skateboarding accident, was it, Cub?" Wolf asked with a grin.

"...Would you believe me if I said it was?"

Snake spoke up for the first time. "Well, the injuries were inconsistent with it."

Alex grinned and Snake got the feeling he was playing with them. "How so?"

"Well-" Snake frowned, thinking back. It had been so long ago. "Firstly, you fell off a skateboard? Did you even own a skateboard?"

"Damn. You just had to ask that question first," Alex groaned as he moved out of Eagle's grin. Snake frowned as he watched Alex pass the card to Eagle.

"Oh! I think I might've won!" Eagle said as he glanced at it.

"Yeah, but could you have won without Cub passing you the fake ace, Eagle?" Wolf drawled as he pointed to the card that Alex had put in his shirt.

Eagle frowned. "Well, damn... That's no fair. Wolf, you're not supposed to catch me! You're on the same team!"

"Yeah, but you aren't supposed to cheat," Alex pointed out.

Snake grinned. Things were finally getting back to normal. Wait. There was still one loose end.

"And how did you break your arm?"

Alex grinned even wider. "Fell off a bike."

"You're kidding," Eagle deadpanned, the fake ace forgotten. Snake used that opportunity to pass it to Fox.

"Nope. The one injury that made you guys so pissed off is the one my father actually _didn't _do. What're the chances?"

"Wow," Wolf responded. "Hey, Eagle... You could draw..."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Fox said as he laid down his cards. "All ace's. I clearly win."

"You mean _we_ win," Snake said.

"Okay, fine. _We_ win."

"Not so fast. Where did that ace card go?" Eagle demanded. "Snake! Calling me out and then stealing it - that's not fair," he pouted.

Snake only grinned. Alex smirked and winked. Life was finally getting back to normal.

## break ##

Hope you enjoyed the ride!

Final challenge: Why did Alex wink at Snake?

~ Finished ~


End file.
